I am a better human being because of reading. Picking up a book and reading it cover to cover hasn’t always been something that I’ve done, if anything, I used to hate reading as a child. However, over the last three years, I reacquainted myself with the art of reading. Just before the pandemic, I wanted to learn about areas of business that I was struggling to understand (as many co-founders know, starting a business is like jumping off a cliff and assembling an aeroplane as you fall). Books became a good source of knowledge for me. Little did I realise, that it would lead to an expansive and enriching journey of self far beyond the acquisition of a few tips to help me run a company. 

The tipping point to this journey started with one black square. Amidst the events following the unlawful deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I realised how naive my view was of the world. I was desperate to understand the acute experiences of others untainted by my own perspective, privilege and culture. I wanted to learn the context, histories and lived experiences of others without placing the responsibility on those who were also metabolising the 2020 experiences for themselves. As Audre Lorde puts it, "Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves." That one black square was not only a sign for us to do better collectively as a society by dismantling the systemic oppressions embedded in our culture, but also it needed to demonstrate personal accountability. It catalysed a decision to do my own due diligence by learning from the perspectives of women who have had the courage to make their experiences and viewpoints public within the pages of novels, essays, poems and non-fiction literature. It was during this time I set a challenge to read as widely and diverse as possible, educating myself beyond the singularity of mass suggestion in mainstream discourse. Here are three things that have changed me since I became a self-proclaimed bibliophile. 

Reading taught me empathy

Books can provide us with profound empathy in ways other forms of media cannot. We can learn a lot from stories. As we walk with characters inside their own shoes and worlds; we can discover new lessons, values and ideas. We are offered new language and experiences unlike our own, catalysing a new way of thinking; breaking down concrete realities of our own arbitrary viewpoints. I’m not saying that I lacked any form of empathy prior to reading, but it was very little, encased in ethnocentrism and a lack of curiosity for the lived experiences of others. I lived each day self-assured; comfortable in my own naivety and knowledge. During this time, I have also seen a shift in the way I speak. My natural discourse growing up was steeped in ultimatums and universals, rather than reflection and contemplation. My language slowly transformed as I learnt that my thoughts and ways of doing things were not set realities of rights and wrongs, but rather a singular perspective shaped by my own upbringing and culture. I often find myself a lot less inclined to speak so directly and finitely (though I still can fall into old patterns from time to time). What empathy gifted me, was a new understanding that I could put into use, providing me with a clearer picture of the world and those within it. As Brené Brown wrote, “Only when diverse perspectives are included, respected, and valued can we start to get a full picture of the world: who we serve, what they need, and how to successfully meet people where they are." This brought about a desire to create a round-table community in my life. Creating relational proximity and connections with those who think differently from me; shifting friendships away from perpetual echo chambers towards ones of mutual empathy and contribution.

Reading taught me cultural-awareness

Frequently exiting my singular narrative by diving into the stories of others, I gained consciousness and respect for other opinions in addition to my own. It revealed the inherent education that my 90s Australian upbringing and Latino culture afforded me.