Why Is It Important To Read Poetry For Happiness?

In this talk, we explore why reading poetry is a vital spiritual practice. Poetry is a rich reserve of beauty, and beauty brings us energy. When you read a poem, you are engaging in the sacred process of making meaning. You are connecting dots and sitting with ambiguity. These are not just literary skills; they are the skills we need to find purpose in our daily lives.

Transcript

Why is it important to read poetry?

We're looking at everything as a tool today,

As transactional.

Can poetry be a thing you do for happiness?

Yes.

Read poetry for happiness.

Poetry is the process of making meaning.

You read a poem and you need to see what it means.

What people struggle with today is a lack of meaning in their life because everything is instrumental.

The practice of reading poetry,

It has spiritual energy.

It's like this rich reserve spiritual energy of beauty.

Beauty brings us energy.

And you go through the meaning making process,

Putting pieces together,

Connecting the dots.

You're dealing with ambiguity.

These are real skills.

Do not let AI analyze the poetry you read and ask AI what it means.

Read about it.

Notice what you feel.

It connects you to your emotions and it connects you to making meaning.

Every single day,

We need to make meaning in our own lives.

Poetry is an incredible practice for that.