<Bibliophilia and the gifts it showers>

A word can fuel flames of empowerment in one’s soul or rather infuse darkness. A word can become life-giving water or a destroyer of all matters. A word can split spheres of humanity into hemispheres, or put that shattered world into inmost connection. While words are vessels that contain magical potency, there is a particular word that draws the seeds of eagerness and skins me alive. This momentous word for me is bibliophilia. Some people may not be well-versed regarding this word, so to give a brief description, this word consists of biblio that refers to a book and philia that signifies love. It could be defined as the admiration for reading books. I have a total of two reasons for my philia, my love for this word.

To begin with, this word offers a visual picture of my personal memoirs regarding books. The heartstrings for this word extend to my heartfelt endearment for books. From when I was very young, just as the school bell rang, I sped to the library at full tilt, chose a book for the day, and lost track of time reading. Sometimes I read more than 50 books a day. I still recall inhaling the books’ musty smells of easement. To me, reading books was departing from the hectic reality and sinking into a new world with multiple dimensions. At night, I read the mystery series or the bible with my mother, which prepared me for a good night's sleep. There were even times when I became the author, publishing an e-book of my own folklore. I usually memorized lines that swallowed up my soul and shared my literary food for thoughts with my co-fellows, even in my school talent show. The word bibliophilia serves as a circuitry reminiscing all these memories regarding books, which accumulated to become my identity. Hence, this single word is worth thousands of words, commemorating special moments of my life journey.

The second reason for my reverence towards bibliophilia is because this word encompasses all virtues that literature showers on individuals or societies. First, books are eye-mirrors of the present world and prompt re-evaluation. For instance, the Shakespearean tragedy previews the modern world as its mastery of mind implicitly unveils the psychological state of current individuals. Especially, Othello showcases status anxiety that is a universal feeling nowadays. This is revealed when Othello who is a noble, honored military officer calls himself the “moor” or the “green-eyed monster” and when he labels black people as outsiders. In this way, books reiterate human experiences and offer an acute understanding of the world we are living in. Second, the rigid squares of books give a voice to the ones hidden in the covers, delving into contentious topics of worth. A book that I recently read called Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, unfolds the dark myths of racism through an honest account of black individuals’ revelatory experiences. Through historical reminders, it overflows critical questions regarding the blatant racial injustice and awakens our weight of responsibility. Ultimately, bibliophilia sheds light on these treasury roles of books as an unknown friend, a reflector of humanity, and a life coach.

Lastly, the word bibliophilia alarms me a call regarding children that are struggling to make ends meet and do not have stable access to these bestowments of books. Even in the United States, the status reveals that 1 in 8 disadvantaged students are not equipped with their own book. A field of assistance must be given to literary education. This would include facilitating programs such as the Save with Stories campaign, where individuals upload storytelling videos in media outlets for deprived children. I am certified that one book would dramatically change a child’s future. I am more than definite that books would bridge conversations and breed the art of interconnectedness in such a pandemic. Starting from the introduction of my favorite word bibliophilia, I would like all of you to fill up and live with the assets of books, and also to contribute to igniting a stream of hope for the needy to help them become bibliophiles. Our “bibliofilian” actions and our books would be the ropes to firmly hold and reconnect humankind.