Life Lessons Through The Pages Of A Book

If there is one thing that literature has taught me over the years is that heroes may not always win, but they never negotiate with bullies and terrorists.

Hello, awesome nerds, and happy Thursday everyone.

I don’t know where September went, but somehow this is the last post for this first month of autumn.

I wanted it to be different, but due to recent events, I mixed things up a little bit to talk to you about the life lessons some of my favourite books have taught me over the years.

To make things a bit clearer for you, two nights ago, a group of ten young boys, ages between 16 and 18 years old, got into my yard. Nine of them started bullying and pushing the last, tenth member of their group, for God only knows why.

I got out on the balcony, shouted that I would call the policy right that instant if they didn’t leave. So they did… just to go to the field across the street and continue from where they had left things. They started pushing the “weaker” member deeper in the field, shouting and cursing him.

Knowing it would take some time for the police to come and most certainly knowing that I wouldn’t let some bullies terrorise a kid, I called my cousin, who’s in military police. He came home literally in two minutes and only then they stopped whatever it was they wanted to do to this tenth member of their group.

My cousin was talking to them for more than ten minutes out in the street and, even though one of the bullies wanted to play all tough, in the end, they all left quietly and went their way home.

You probably saw that I paraphrased Clary’s quote:

“Heroes aren’t always the ones who win,” she said. “They’re the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. They don’t give up. That’s what makes them heroes.” 

~ City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6), by Cassandra Clare

It’s because I truly believe that. We’ve seen great people, heroes of some sort, not always winning in life. And yet, they never gave up. That’s the reason why we thought, and will always think of them as heroes.

And that’s what we should do, too. No matter how gloomy things may be, no matter how many the bullies and know-it-alls of the world may be, we will keep fighting, we will keep coming back. For y’all know that we’re stronger together. And there is nothing, nothing we should be afraid of.

Just as Albus Dumbledore once said:

“It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.”

~ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J. K. Rowling

So, in all honesty, it’s always the unknown that shakes us, especially on what comes to death and darkness. Yet, there’s no reason to be afraid of either of the two. Especially if we keep hope alive. Because…

“Without the dark, we’d never see the stars.”

~ Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1), by Stephenie Meyer

I’ve said it before but it’s one of my truest beliefs. The choices we make are the people we are. Our choices shape our destinies. I believe that, down to my very core.

While these kids chose violence, my cousin chose to talk to them. It wasn’t destiny or the stars that made him do that. It was simply his choice.

“Astra inclinant, sed non obligant; The stars incline us, they do not bind us.” 

~ Kingdom of the Cursed (Kingdom of the Wicked, #2), by Kerri Maniscalco

Four simple life lessons, yet four lessons that truly make all the difference in the world.

I’m glad that I’ve been reading books for the past twenty years now, so much that I ended up writing two books of my own.

I’m glad that, through the pages of my books, not only I traveled to new, fantastic worlds, but I nurtured my empathy, my patience, my wittiness in tough, challenging situations.

Friendly advice: try to do the same, folks. And try to put into practice the lessons the books you read teach you.

Thank you all so very much for being here once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted; I never will.

I wish you have an amazing day and I hope that October treats you well.

Till next time… Toodles! ✨