Reading books daily is lame

[Natasha Tori Maru]

@YIDIRYIDIR chill man, no need to get so wound up.

You commented in reply to a user they responded to the topic title and not body of the post - as if the two had nothing in common. Pretty common for users to do so.

My comment is aimed to get you to contemplate what the entire topic is saying about what you could be ignorant to. It's like a koan. 

Offense can only be taken.

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

I see your point. Problem is, this method you are proposing necessitates some sort awareness of action/application of the knowledge -  and a sense that this knowledge is relevant for you, prior to studying and learning about this information/knowledge. What if you are not aware yet of the relevance of this knowledge to you (regardless of whether the cause is emotional or practical) prior to studying it; but it ends up, in fact, being usefull to you in the ways you had not realized up until that point? Also, how do you know that you posses an accurate internal gauge on what is usefull or isn't usefull to you, when you are a kid for example? That's kinda the function of the school to lead you towards a proper path, otherwise you'd most likely just fuck around and end up stupid. Some information also doesn't really have an obvious practical implementation, and will never have; for example knowing the rules of how a certain language is constructed, you might say that it's completely useless to you personally and maybe you're right, but it's still neccessary from the collective POV in order to mantain coherency of language and thus our identity. So this is a fairly complicated topic in my opinion and there are many different ways to look at it. You are choosing to look at it mainly from the stage orange perspective, correct me if I'm wrong but I get that sense from you. That's fine, but it's limited and there's more to it.

Also, there's nothing out there limiting you from doing both; you can mantain a more casual, mechanical habit of reading books AND also study what you're the most curious about or learn about what's practical to you.

[YIDIRYIDIR]

@NewKidOnTheBlock we need to distinguish between learning as an adult and foundational education. i agree, primary school and a bit above is necessary and requires that attitude of daily learning and descipline. because at that point, you know nothing.

10 minutes ago, NewKidOnTheBlock said:

What if you are not aware yet of the relevance of this knowledge to you (regardless of whether the cause is emotional or practical) prior to studying it; but it ends up, in fact, being usefull to you in the ways you had not realized up until that point? 

you are talking about discovery. curiosity will take you further than just reading daily and hoping you stumble upon something. Curiosity doesn't just lead you to practical stuff, it leads you to all sorts of knowledge. if one has the attitude I'm talking about, you wouldn't need a daily habit of reading, you would already be doing that and constantly searching for answers, searching for clarity. and you are right, there's nothing stopping us from doing both, I'm just saying that one is far superior than the other. 

23 minutes ago, NewKidOnTheBlock said:

You are choosing to look at it mainly from the stage orange perspective, correct me if I'm wrong but I get that sense from you. That's fine, but it's limited and there's more to it.

Not just orange stage perspective, but also yellow. if you study systems, there's a difference between a complex system and a complicated one. 

a complicated System is a linear one, with predictable outcome, predictable interactions of components. an example would be just setting a system of of daily reading. it is linear, predictable, can be influenced directly and you can alter the results in a linear way. 

but a complex system is a system that works in a non linear way, and generates an emergent outcome that's far greater than what would be expected if you think in linear logic. it's where the saying of "a whole greater than the sum of its parts" came from. 

[ExploringReality]

This post is lame 

[YIDIRYIDIR]

Just now, ExploringReality said:

This post is lame 

at this point yes lol 

[YIDIRYIDIR]

43 minutes ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

@YIDIRYIDIR chill man, no need to get so wound up.

You commented in reply to a user they responded to the topic title and not body of the post - as if the two had nothing in common. Pretty common for users to do so.

My comment is aimed to get you to contemplate what the entire topic is saying about what you could be ignorant to. It's like a koan. 

Offense can only be taken.

sure, i will make better delivery next time. 

[Husseinisdoingfine]

If you think you don't enjoy reading books, then it means you haven't read the right books.

In all do seriousness, you need to read books if you're doing self-actualization because there's a lot of profound material in those books which can't be taught through a video. Having books on your bookshelf is very helpful as you can always go back and quickly reference information you need or have forgotten. 

[YIDIRYIDIR]

1 minute ago, Husseinisdoingfine said:

If you think you don't enjoy reading books, then it means you haven't read the right books.

In all do seriousness, you need to read books if you're doing self-actualization because there's a lot of profound material in those books which can't be taught through a video. Having books on your bookshelf is very helpful as you can always go back and quickly reference information you need or have forgotten. 

I made a mistake by making a title that isn't precise and people think I mean reading books in general is ineffective.

[Jordan of the Shire]

a teacher told me once not to read books which is kinda funny. he means, the more ideas you have, it reifies ideas as something concrete and something to identify with. so his advice is, for spiritual practice, they aren't really necessary. 

another teacher told me, it's important to shape the mind with theory so that it knows how to function, and that helps people progress a lot faster.

I fall somewhere in between. 

Depends on the knowledge, depends on your desire, depends what you're trying to create. I have found it extremely helpful to have theory, but i always spend a long time actually doing it. 

You must have a healthy self esteem to do spiritual practice. For a healthy self esteem, conventional optimization and self-improvement is an important step.

You can work both ways. You can try to change the body to shape the mind. Or you can use the mind to shape the body. (all the information stored in your tissues, your whole being)

 You can do genuine, authentic Qi-gong and Dao Yin, (this means the quality of Qi Skill), opening channels, clearing out shit, and you will self actualize as Qi harmonizes your body. You only require the theory of the practice.

 The practitioner will self-optimize as a result of training and not necessarily affirmation or concentrated contemplation.

 

Side note: The tricky part about developing Qi Skill, is that, more Qi = Empowered Self, and if your self is rotten and full of mischief, anger, and all that stuff, you're going to have a hard time because it can take you over the edge of self control. Which is why you get a lot of deviation in people who practice these things. There are safe ways to develop Qi-Skill, and Potent not so safe ways. 

Or you can change the mind through realization, insight, perspectives, and interaction through attention using mental exercises, derived from books and other kinds of practices. 

A balance between theory and practice is important. I don't think you have to read a book everyday. 

From theory to practice to mastery

Edited 8 hours ago by Jordan of the Shire

[Hasson_Miah]

@YIDIRYIDIR NoOOOO!

[Hasson_Miah]

22 hours ago, YIDIRYIDIR said:

the "never implemented a habit" is a wrong accusation. i don't have to stick to it for a year to have had tried it. it's enough to experiment with it for a while and see if it gets results. that's what i did. that's the point of experimentation. 

That's just false mind reading. You're the one frustrated from my opinion. all i did is share what i learned from my experience, and listed arguments for it. 

Reading books daily is not something you done, it is something you do. 

The history of you trying is irrelevant. 

Because you are not reading books daily your authority on the matter is weak. 

Look I'm sorry people and myself included are blasting you and on your other post aswell (the april fools one' What?' Post you made) but Jesus Christ dude you have to be reading books daily, come to the conclusion that reading books daily is lame and still continue to read books daily!

Then you will have power in this dynamic. 

Wish you all the best.

[Basman]

It's silly to debate lord over differences in preference. A boom and bust cycle of intense learning is obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea. 

[Jacob Morres]

7 hours ago, YIDIRYIDIR said:

I made a mistake by making a title that isn't precise and people think I mean reading books in general is ineffective 

 

It's only ineffective if the reading is arbitrary and unfocused. If you want to become informed on politics then taking some uni classes and reading some top politics books will inform you a bit

But yeah it can def be ineffective if it is aimless and ur reading random stuff

But it is also essential to be an expert at things 

Like if you want to be a financial analyst. Theres a ton of education you need.

But if u just read the power of now or smtn and dont meditate as a result then yeah lol

Edited 4 hours ago by Jacob Morres

[YIDIRYIDIR]

Here's what's happening in this post:

First, my framing was off, my bad.

When I said “reading daily is lame,” what I meant was that that's usually passive, linear consumption without application that often becomes intellectual comfort, not real learning. But that’s not how it landed. It landed like I was saying reading is useless, that people are wasting their time, or pretending to be smart. Of course that triggered people. That part is on me.

But here’s what actually made me pause.

Most people didn’t engage with the idea. They attacked me personally, said I don’t have authority, "i don't know shit" and "it's your thing only" while dismissing the argument without addressing it, and created a strawman like “he thinks reading is bad. and he doesn't read at all” That’s not debate, that’s defense. And I’m going to say it directly: some of you acted exactly like when religious people get their religion criticized. 

When a belief is deeply embedded, people don’t hear nuance. They hear “your worldview is getting attacked” Then emotion replaces reasoning, identity replaces curiosity, and defense replaces inquiry.

And that made me realize something deeper: for many people, reading books is no longer just a tool, it’s part of their identity. It represents intelligence, discipline, and differentiation from non-readers. So when that gets questioned, it feels personal. my bad for poking that. 

Let me clarify my actual position.

Reading books is not the goal. Reading books is a tool. I read books, a lot of them, but not linearly, and not "from page 1 to last page without skipping anything" approach. 

When you tell me, “read books daily,” it’s like telling a painter: “mix paint every day, even if you’re not creating any painting, just keep mixing paint and leave it there. You’re an artist after all, it’s what you do.” That sounds ridiculous, but that’s exactly what passive reading looks like when it’s disconnected from purpose, curiosity, and application.

also. reading for enjoyment or inspiration is a different thing, I'm not talking about that. 

Real learning is messy. It’s nonlinear. It’s driven by genuine curiosity. It’s reinforced through action, feedback, mistakes, and reflection. You can read for hours every day and still not think clearly, not apply anything, and not grow in any meaningful way.

So yeah, I’ll own my mistake: I framed it in a way that triggered ego instead of inviting thought.

But at the same time, the reaction proved something too.

When a habit becomes unquestioned and tied to identity, people will defend it the same way they defend beliefs.

If there’s anything worth taking from this, it’s not that “reading is bad.”

It’s this: don’t confuse consuming information with actually learning.

And maybe more importantly, notice what you feel the need to defend, because that’s usually where you’ve stopped questioning and thinking.

[Jacob Morres]

@YIDIRYIDIR fr it's not even about reading necesssarily. it's literally about directed learning enroute a goal. which is what every normal person does. but us self help junkies read like monkeys with no aim

there's a dude on this forum that asks the same question "what is a good book for success" for years and he just sits there reading self help books on success lmao 

(sorry bro ily) 

Edited 2 hours ago by Jacob Morres

[CARDOZZO]

Reading as a mechanical performative act is useless. 

The best books I've ever read made me pause, break my soul, changed how I see myself, humanity.

Don't read for performance or to show off how intelligent you are.

Reading is a sacred act. You're morphing into a different mind. 

If you stay the same after you read a book, there is something off.