It is often heard that people lament that they don't have ample time or enough money to take a trip on the spur of the moment.
This sounds rather miserable, but it is not worthy of sympathy, because they don't understand that such a "luxurious" thing can actually be easily achieved through reading - because reading is also a kind of travel, and it is a kind of travel with the lowest cost.
Perhaps some people may question how reading and traveling are the same thing. In fact, the ancients already had the answer long ago: reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles. Reading and traveling complement and cannot be separated from each other. Traveling means letting the body be on the way, which is an outward reading; reading means letting the soul be on the way, which is an inward traveling. They both pursue the pleasure on the spiritual level and constantly improve their cultivation and quality.
Traveling is to read the mountains and waters, the various aspects of life, and the local customs; while reading is the soul traveling in the words, wandering in the fragrant pages, and chanting in the thoughts of the sages. To travel, one must first find a favorite destination - famous mountains and rivers, scenic spots, overseas scenery and foreign customs, secluded mountains and quiet villages in the countryside, all of which are excellent places to go and will bring different feelings; reading is the same, first one must find a book that one loves - literature that cultivates sentiment, philosophy that prompts thinking, and history that travels through time and space. No matter which one it is, it will take you into the spiritual palace and feel the warm light emitted by the words.
Nietzsche once said: Reading is following the author's footprints to see the scenery along the way. Therefore, when reading Tang poetry, we can transform into Li Bai in a blue robe, "sitting alone in Jingting Mountain"; we can transform into Wang Wei in a small boat, "sitting and watching the clouds rise"; we can transform into Du Fu with a bamboo staff, "seeing all the mountains are small"......
When reading Song Ci, we can transform into Liu Yong, the prime minister in white, "by the willow-painted bridge, behind the wind curtain and green curtain"; we can transform into Xin Qiji with a golden halberd and a war horse, "dreaming back to the continuous bugle calls of the camps"; we can transform into Su Dongpo with a bamboo staff and sandals, "letting the drizzle and mist be my life"......