Personal Development: On Reading

There are two sections from Serious Times, that James Emery White book I mentioned last week, about which (if you’ll humor me) I’d like to reflect on a bit further – one is on “developing our minds” and the other on “deepening our souls.” I’m going to try following the pattern of my friend Paul and prepare my week’s blog posts in advance. So check back. I’ve spent a rather pleasant couple of hours at Starbucks writing a series of ~500-word (somewhat sloppy) essays for you this week. Here’s the first.

Developing Our Minds (quotes from Serious Times, pp. 107-8)

“There is no substitute for reading,” says White. “So where do we begin? How can we become active readers in the midst of the frantic pace of our lives? It’s tempting to view the act of sitting down with a book – much less many books – as a luxury afforded those with unique schedules or privileged positions in life. In truth it is available to us all.”

He begins by talking about how full of books his house is – they are stacked everywhere. Well, books are not cheap; I’d argue that the acquisition of many books is indeed a sign of luxury and privilege. And having books around you and with you wherever you go does not accomplish the development of one’s mind, by osmosis! I remember in high school and college carrying around vast amounts of homework with me whenever I went somewhere for the weekend. Somehow just carrying the stuff around seemed like it was worth some credit. But much of the time I just got sore from a heavy backpack. I'm afraid I still do this with my work, lugging folders back and forth between home and office!

White gives helpful tips on finding time to read and adds this key point, quoting one of his many books which quotes another: “If a man wants to read good books, he must make a point of avoiding bad ones; for life is short and time and energy limited.” (Arthur Shopenhauer, in Some Forms of Literature, quoted in Adler/Van Doren’s Great Treasury of Western Thought, quoted in White’s Serious Times, now quoted by me!)

An aside here, have you ever noticed how very many books, especially by those who see themselves primarily as writers and academics – are composed primarily of lines lifted out of other books? Perhaps it’s due, at times, to the insistence in the academic world that one not say anything without providing evidence and footnotes. Other realms of communication could be improved by this discipline, though it does seem overdone at times. Well assembled, a meal composed of previously served ingredients can be delightful.

Does seem like cheating, though, sometimes. I think I too could be a good writer if I didn’t have to write, merely had to recognize good stuff when I see it. Well, this is I guess exactly what I do as a journalist/ethnographer – only, often what I pass on comes from the lips, not the pens, of those who truly have something to say. So I guess it isn’t any different.

At any rate, the chapter also quotes Francis Bacon, who said, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”

It’s true, isn’t it? Not every book requires or is worth a deep reading. Learning to read quickly, to put aside what need not be finished, while savoring and re-reading what is more worthwhile: This is a significant part of how we develop our minds.