[In these books] a world will come over you, the happiness, the abundance, the incomprehensible immensity of a world. Live a while in these books, learn from them what seems to you worth learning, but above all love them. This love will be repaid you a thousand and a thousand times, and however your life may turn,—it will, I am certain of it, run through the fabric of your growth as one of the most important threads among all the threads of your experiences, disappointments and joys.
I smiled when I read the portion above aloud, thinking of the wealth and wisdom that has been endowed and the ways my mind has been roused to greater heights. Though I often struggle to make time for personal reading, having a ritual of writing on Substack has helped tremendously. Thank you for imploring us all to read anew.
I find it particularly sad how fiction is derided as useless. Look, if the message of Crime and Punishment could be conveyed in a powerpoint presentation masquerading as a non-fiction book, fine, but it simply can't be done. The very experience of reading is part of the message. The time spent with the work and all that comes with it. It seems to me that people focus on what utility there is to reading and only seem to think it's superficial level information or knowledge of facts.
Also, as I observe around me every day, people's attention span appears to approach that of a goldfish. How do you find the effect of technology on reading?
[In these books] a world will come over you, the happiness, the abundance, the incomprehensible immensity of a world. Live a while in these books, learn from them what seems to you worth learning, but above all love them. This love will be repaid you a thousand and a thousand times, and however your life may turn,—it will, I am certain of it, run through the fabric of your growth as one of the most important threads among all the threads of your experiences, disappointments and joys.
I smiled when I read the portion above aloud, thinking of the wealth and wisdom that has been endowed and the ways my mind has been roused to greater heights. Though I often struggle to make time for personal reading, having a ritual of writing on Substack has helped tremendously. Thank you for imploring us all to read anew.
Thank you for reading and replying!
🔥
I find it particularly sad how fiction is derided as useless. Look, if the message of Crime and Punishment could be conveyed in a powerpoint presentation masquerading as a non-fiction book, fine, but it simply can't be done. The very experience of reading is part of the message. The time spent with the work and all that comes with it. It seems to me that people focus on what utility there is to reading and only seem to think it's superficial level information or knowledge of facts.
Also, as I observe around me every day, people's attention span appears to approach that of a goldfish. How do you find the effect of technology on reading?