I don’t know when humanity began to read but in my mind, it is the greatest innovation in all of history. The capacity to put thoughts down on the page and then to share those thoughts is remarkable. Reading gave us the means to store information and spread our ideas throughout the world. It amazes me that I can read a book and get into the head of the author. I can try to understand what they were thinking and what they were trying to communicate. It is especially cool to read work from an author that lived hundreds of years ago. They are essentially talking to us from the grave, still having an impact on the world.

The fact that reading is so important I almost feel a moral compulsion to read as much as I can. I did not always feel this way. It wasn’t that long ago that I would go years without reading a single book (other than a textbook). I didn’t see anything wrong with that decision. I just wasn’t that interested. I just preferred to be doing something else. I was in the majority. That group that doesn’t make a habit of reading regularly.

Things slowly began to change. There isn’t a real moment in time that I can look back upon as say “That was the turning point”. I think as I got older and learned more I began to realize how important it is to read. Not to mention the statistics of how many books the super successful people of this world read each year. That knowledge alone should be enough to light the fire of book consumption for anyone.

However I developed the reading habit I am grateful that it happened. I am grateful because it has opened my eyes to a couple of ideas. These ideas are not my own but I agree with them wholeheartedly.

1. The more you learn the more you realize how much you don’t know.
2. When you think you know everything you need to know, that is the moment your life begins to decline.

These statements are critical to living a successful existence on earth. It is so important to understand how big the world is outside of our tiny sphere of influence. It is important to understand that we don’t know anything about most of the things in this world. It is most important to internalize that when we start to think we “got it figured out” the world will quickly humble us in a way we won’t like.

Always question certainties. Always questions assumptions. Always questions those who teach you. Always question those who claim to tell you the truth.

Always question yourself. Question if what you think you know is actually the truth.

It is important to try our best to get down to the truth. Truth is the bedrock of living. It may be impossible to ever get all the way there but we must try. To live our best lives we must make an effort to act on the best knowledge and information we can. The best way to get there…

READ

 

Chris