Why and How To Start Reading More (Because This Is The Information Economy)

"I just can't read... its boring to me"

This is something so common in our society, and quite literally, it disgusts me.

Reading is the pinnacle of what we as humans can do to assimilate information, as well as, honor our ancestors and people who have put time into finding a solution out for us.

Quite literally, by reading we are entering the mind of those who wrote the work and easily get information that took years of research and study.

The development of our prefrontal cortex allowed us to have this higher consciousness and cognitive thought which allowed us to make meaning of symbols, and utilize these principles to embed into our genetic code information.

And with the advent of A.I. we will enter into a period of connectedness where information is our soul economic drive.

"Give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day, teach a man to fish and he will be fed for life."

This is reading.

Why So Many Of Us Hate Reading

Here's the plain and simple on why reading is disregarded by so many people...

School

Sit down, shut up and read this thing that you really don't want to, but have to in order to practice your memorization abilities on this test in which you will bubble your answers.

It doesn't make much sense when looked at in practicality.

We assume higher learning is the paradigm in which monetary success will come, but fail to realize that our modern school system is one that takes prevailing thoughts away and actually create an assembly line funneling people into the workforce. 

Then in the workforce we are forced to read more and more, but this time it is reports and briefings which we typically don't want to read, "exhausting" our mind and ability to read.

Actually, I think it's quite comical that many people won't pick up a book and read because "they are tired" and instead they turn on the TV and wear out their perceived effort seeing who the next bachelor is like it matters. 

It doesn't, sorry. 

Instead, you could be gathering information and learning something incredible, because reading truly is at the center of our advancement in life.

Read, gather information, store it in a commonplace book, and then let the ideas have idea sex until you create something spectacular.

Its how most of the great minds came to their conclusions.

They critically read and critically thought.

Although, modern schooling and work teaches us to despise reading, especially anything longer than 40 character tweet or some Instagram picture description.

Why We Need To Focus On Reading and Reading Books That Is

Reading allows the transfer of knowledge almost effortlessly.

Practice reading, and you will be able to attain more information than you ever thought possible, while also figuring out how to write and assimilate information yourself. 

Now, the reason reading is so important is that without it, we end up playing telephone with information.

Think about it this way.

A long, long time ago fables and stories were passed down orally.

Until, with something like the Iliad, we finally captured and put it down on paper in a mass consensus thought process known as language.

And now we read what was put down then the same in today's society. Although, we clearly are missing what the original stories were because tales told orally usually end up leaving out a detail or changing certain descriptions which have a butterfly effect on everything else.

Now this is also why reading books, and longer written works is so important.

It rehearses and trains the ability to hold onto and think in longer thought sequences.

A tweet is a choppy 40 character thought sequence, whereas a 200-page book shows the maturation of a thought, the research behind it and sometimes years and years of thinking about the same thought. 

It's magical and can create a fluid consciousness stream that you can jump into anytime you want to read the book. 

How To Start Reading and Actually Like It

Now in order to start reading and actually like it, I like to give out one exercise as it's how I was bit with the bug in which keeps me reading 10 different books at one time.

What is a problem you currently have?

It can be literally anything.

Think about it for a second.

Okay, got it?

Well go on Amazon and look for a book that helps you solve that problem.

See part of the magic of reading is that someone else somewhere else has probably been in your situation or one like it and can help you both find the solution to your problem and open up that mind into a new way of thinking.

The first time this happened to me was with the 4 Hour Body where I really realized I could take control of my body.

And after that it propelled me to reading everything and anything I could get my hands on.

So, in summary, find a solution to your problem through reading and the gravity of what reading can do for you will finally unearth itself.

Thanks for reading and please for the love of all things holy... start reading,

Austin

Photo Credit: 

• Syd Wachs
• John Mark Kuzniestov
• Lysander Yuen
• Chuttersnap