What would one say is the point of reading? Is it for fun? Is it to kill time? If asked, I think a lot of people would say something along the lines of “To expand my mind. To grow as a person. Expand my horizons!”. And those people would be on to something. I’m sure those same people are reading, but odds are they are doing it for fun, to kill time, or because they think they “should” be reading. I fall into this group. I’ve always loved the thought of being an intellectual, of being an avid reader, someone who reads so much and so deeply they’re able to rub elbows and converse with those who have an iron grip on the teachings of Plato or a deep understanding of romantic poetry.
I do read a lot, but sometimes it seems I enjoy collecting books more than I enjoy reading them. Over the years I have accumulated just over 1600 books. This number will probably continue to grow. These books adorn the shelves of a rather grand-looking yet humble home library. A stranger walking into this library might be inclined to think its owner is well-read. Very well-read indeed. They’d probably wish they were as well-read and self-educated as this wondrous, towering figure of a man. But where is this great man? He’s not reading in this heavenly room, that’s filled with so many portals to other worlds, participating in the Great Conversation, or exploring the far corners of the cosmos or those of the mind? No. He’s running about, gathering another book or two that he can squirrel away in his cozy little room. Shame.
A slice of the site’s author’s home library.
The Reading of the Sixteen Hundred has begun. Really reading, understanding, questioning, applying. Mortimer J. Adler called this type of reading “active reading”. This is the opposite of “passive reading”, which is what most people do. Passive reading is the reading of a book without any real thought, just read the words, finish the book, tell people you finished the book and then move onto the next, never giving it another thought until someone in the future asks if you read that same book and you can say “Yes!”, but do you remember anything about it? Probably not. Active reading expands, passive reading does not.
Books are a bit like people. You can learn a lot from good people, and you can also learn a lot from not-so-good people. Good people can teach you how to live and act, not-so-good people can teach you how not to live, or perhaps they can teach you how to be patient or understanding, or how to be compassionate. Books have the same power. I believe that we as readers, have the ability to turn any book into a “Better Book”. Every book, whether you consider it a good book or not-so-good book, has at least one nugget of gold in it somewhere, that you can mine and transform into usable knowledge that can benefit both yourself and in turn, your fellow humans.
I’m inconceivably fortunate to be blessed with 1600 books, at my fingertips, in the comfort of my own home. What a waste of time, money, and most importantly, potential, to not actually read them and use them for their intended purpose, which is to expand my mind, help me grow as a person, and expand my horizons. The result of which leaves me in a better position to help guide others in the same direction, thus changing the world for the better, even if it’s just one sentence at a time.
Join me as I begin my Reading of the Sixteen Hundred. As mentioned elsewhere, I’ll be reading history, philosophy, poetry, fiction, and more. I’ll be reading them all, good or bad, and passing my thoughts, reflections, and reviews on to you. Extracting something of value from each one. Turning every book into a Better Book.