Reading books has always been considered a way in which one proves superior intelligence. Of course, this is not far for being the truth, in fact it makes a lot of sense. Like the late Charlie Munger was saying, two weeks before his death at almost 100 years, “I didn’t see an intelligent person that didn’t read, even fiction”. Fiction, is, of course, the product of all time classics, but also some new entries, from 20th centuries, if we are thinking about “Harry Potter”, “Game of Thrones”, or “Lord of the Rings”. These are titles not chosen by accident, but rather to consolidate my thoughts and believe that reading is not necessary an asset in 2024.
Funny for me to say this, since I’ve decided, for around two years, I guess, to devore the European classics. Kafka, Goethe, Camus, Dostoyevsky, Orwel, now I am enjoying Cervantes’s “Don Quixote”, and the list will be extended in the years to come. I am doing this not only as a milestone in my life, but also because I am prepared now, in my mid-thirties, to understand the world’s best metaphors. In essence, these put a stamp on the world’s biggest characteristics, and stupidity, in general, is portraited the best. I am bragging a bit, but the main reason for this short entry is to prove that my thoughts are far from being against reading.
Reading books can be good, but it depends on what you read!
Yet, books are, somehow, obsolete. The examples I’ve gave from 20th century, are more well known for the movies / series, than from the books, but the books gained in popularity once the videos skyrocketed. The thing with the books, though, is that they have a main component: regardless of the facts presented, and written about, you can imagine what’s behind, and the possibilities are infinite. The films show only one version, you can “see”… infinite! Now, what I want to mainly point out is that always it can be a side face of a coin when it comes to reading. Biggest problem recently is that book shelfs are filled more and more with garbage, with things not only written by people who don’t have any talent, but which are completely useless.
In fact, reading a book, made of paper, in the real meaning, doesn’t, generally speaking, bring any value. You can always read shorter articles, and much more useful on the web, or you can access an online version, or even an audiobook – “The only books that have not being invented yet are the books who can read themselves”, said my teacher more than 20 years ago. Well, now… they were invented! – so then having, in your hands, a real book doesn’t make sense, if we are sincere. But, as I said, recently, I’ve adopted a custom to read more and more. And I think I will keep it, at least until the likes of Shakespeare, Boccaccio, Schopenhauer, or Tolstoy are understood properly. It is just a mechanism of travelling thru the history of the world, and of Europe in special.
Based on the rows spread here, if I would to give a firm advice regarding books is that you should read only if it is a masterpiece, or if it is something that can enriches your knowledge or domain of interests. To read, just for the sake of having something open in your hands, is as useless as you would use, at this moment, a landline phone in the most developed country in the world. All that could have been written, was written for sure. Either you study what the history sealed as great, or you can just make a special due diligence to identify decent writings from the infinite amount of uselessness. To just follow conventional wisdom which says that reading books is regardless a good habit, is something that for sure only does to waste you time you can spend in many, many other more interesting ways.
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