What is the purpose of reading a short story?

Sometimes I think
you can learn more from short stories than novels, simply because the author gets to his/her
point much quicker and is more concise with descriptions.  Authors don't write just to write.
 Authors have a purpose.  Authors have a point they want to convey, whether it be a moral lesson
or an insight into life that gives a new perspective.  Short story authors want you to gain from
their experiences and enhance your life.  They want you to learn lessons through their mistakes,
their successes and their relationships.  I've always thought that if an author knew that he/she
made the reader examine life more closely which led to an improvement in that life, then he/she
would consider the short story a success.  That, in my opinion, is the purpose of reading short
stories.