> I’ve made this mental list of “what matters when reading,” which helps me avoid spending too much time on the wrong thing. In order, what matters most to least is: 1. the output of your reading process (i.e. essays)...
You already have to have a creative practice for reading to serve as a "creative act": writing essays for you, writing stories / animation for me, making travel vlogs for someone else.
Don't think "how can I turn reading into a creative act". If you don't have a creative practice you could write essays, but there's other options. When you find a creative practice you enjoy, reading in the way Kasra nicely described will naturally happen!
Great post. Really inspires me to write. It reminds me of Schopenhauer's thoughts about reading and writing and how he warned that you can "read yourself stupid" by letting your mind be a playground for other people's thoughts while never considering your own.
I also love how you think about note-taking here:
> Your notes on the book are more important than the fact that you finished the book; but also, the way the ideas integrate into your mind (and actions) is more important than any stale notes you take; but further, it’s important that the ideas affect not just your mind but also other people’s minds. This is an act of service! You are trying to be a channel for good ideas in the competition against mediocre and bad ideas.
This attitude has been helpful in my own note taking practice. I find that the quality of notes improves when I start considering them as something that might be read by other people as well.
This is great. Recently, I was chatting with a friend about how using the word "interesting" in conversation can be used as a cop out to avoid thinking deeper about the subject and saying what you find interesting about it. The same goes for note taking! In that case, the book doesn't care how long you take to respond, so you have less of an excuse.
> I’ve made this mental list of “what matters when reading,” which helps me avoid spending too much time on the wrong thing. In order, what matters most to least is: 1. the output of your reading process (i.e. essays)...
You already have to have a creative practice for reading to serve as a "creative act": writing essays for you, writing stories / animation for me, making travel vlogs for someone else.
Don't think "how can I turn reading into a creative act". If you don't have a creative practice you could write essays, but there's other options. When you find a creative practice you enjoy, reading in the way Kasra nicely described will naturally happen!
well said
Great post. Really inspires me to write. It reminds me of Schopenhauer's thoughts about reading and writing and how he warned that you can "read yourself stupid" by letting your mind be a playground for other people's thoughts while never considering your own.
I also love how you think about note-taking here:
> Your notes on the book are more important than the fact that you finished the book; but also, the way the ideas integrate into your mind (and actions) is more important than any stale notes you take; but further, it’s important that the ideas affect not just your mind but also other people’s minds. This is an act of service! You are trying to be a channel for good ideas in the competition against mediocre and bad ideas.
This attitude has been helpful in my own note taking practice. I find that the quality of notes improves when I start considering them as something that might be read by other people as well.
Thanks for writing this.
This is great. Recently, I was chatting with a friend about how using the word "interesting" in conversation can be used as a cop out to avoid thinking deeper about the subject and saying what you find interesting about it. The same goes for note taking! In that case, the book doesn't care how long you take to respond, so you have less of an excuse.
Cheers!