Are you really reading?

I don’t particularly like being pestered for not reading books. Directly or indirectly by those with book trackers on their sites like trophy wall. Although I like a book review or personal notes. It never makes me want to read it myself.

I’m not not reading books out of anti-intellectualism or disdain. I’m also not relegating them to AI summaries. This isn’t like movies or TV, which I avoid because of the industry behind them. I have a dislike for fiction. Life itself is a great big drama. By now I’ve know many close people who aspired to write a book. It’s seems to be a cliche bucket list item for most in tech or a creative career track. We all have something to say. I’m not here to debate the merit of it.

Like most, I don’t have much time or attention. I get overstimulated when I read for more than 30min. Sustained focus is a limited resource. I lost the muscle if I ever had it. Stories make us human. Maybe less so for me. It’s like I’ve heard them all. I haven’t. The texture of mine is too intriguing to care for what seems to be artificial entertainment. At the same time listening to a personal story is empathetic and I can appreciate it.

Not having the time is a poor excuse. My wife finds the time. She takes the notes, works through the feelings… I read blog, long form articles and restraint myself when it comes to audio content (no podcast). My info intake tolerance is low. I prefer discussion. Lucky me, my wife brings the material.

Ingesting words is different from properly working through material. A simple comparison is not a metaphor. A book used to be an investment. I grew up in such time. Now anyone can act as investors rotating their portfolio on a whim. Scale and commodification are not an excuse. Great books remain. It is work. As it should.

If people were truly engaged in reading as much as they advertise (or as stats may suggest), I find it discouraging to see where the world is heading. Are you really reading?

I’ll sit down to read I’ll be old. I have very similar views about video games. I’ll play and read when my legs won’t carry me anymore.