The other day I was scrolling through instagram (yes, I also do it), and I came across a type of video I’m sure you are all-too-familiar with.
"I read 100 books last year. Here are my top 10 books you absolutely need to read."
I used to go on rants criticizing those "book influencers" who promote quantity of reading over quality. But at some point I finally matured enough to realize that I should focus on myself and the impact I can make, so I did my best to stop noticing what I considered to be a counterproductive advice for the aspiring reader.
However, this video, although no different from thousands of others of the same type, made me stop and think.
I am sharing something new I am reading or have read every Monday on here. Sometimes it’s an essay or an article, but most of the time it’s a book.
And although I have pointed out multiple times that I don’t finish each book within a week, now I feel like the picture is not completely clear.
I even wrote a free ebook, "The Lost Art of Reading," where I emphasize that, not only is it okay to read slowly, it is also okay to not finish a book that you started reading. Still, not everyone has taken the time to read it, which I understand. And even those who did read it still find me sharing a new reading every Monday and quite possibly feel at least some amount of pressure to read more or faster.
I am not going to stop my weekly reading recommendations so that you don’t feel pressure about not reading enough. I believe that would be a disrespectful way of trying to help you.
I want to give you a little reminder of what reading is all about and why you shouldn’t feel the pressure to read more or faster.
Before I continue, I want to be clear that not feeling the pressure to read more or faster applies to those who are actually reading.
One of my favorite thinkers, Montaigne, mentions in his essays two levels of ignorance. The first is "abecedarian ignorance." It is the ignorance of those who don’t even know how to read.
But what we are concerned with here is the second level, the "doctoral" ignorance. It is the ignorance of those who have read a lot but learned little or nothing at all. It is the ignorance of those who didn’t really read their books but have merely "completed" them so that they could check them off of their reading lists. The second level of ignorance is that of those who can make an instagram post saying that they read 100 books last year but haven’t taken the time to fully absorb a single one of them.
Does this mean that if you read a lot, you are not learning anything from the books that you are reading? Absolutely not. Does it mean that you shouldn’t ever try to read more? Also not.
This is a friendly warning to those who have become too focused on the quantity and speed of their reading. Slow down and reflect on how much you are actually learning. Consider if you are giving yourself enough time to digest what you read and if you are allowing yourself to be truly affected and maybe even transformed by it.
It is also an equally friendly reminder to those who feel like they are "behind" with their reading when they see their favorite book influencer or a friend who falls into the category that I gave a friendly warning to. Relax. You are not competing with anyone. Not in how many books you will read nor how fast you will read them. One book read carefully and with your full attention is worth more than 100 books read for the sake of being able to say you’ve read 100 books.
Thank you for reading.
If you think you need help getting more out of your reading and even falling in love with it, read the free ebook I wrote for you, "The Lost Art of Reading."
If you liked this insight by Montaigne, I have written an essay on him, "4 Life Lessons From the Most Underrated Philosopher You Are Not Reading."
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