I know a few people who read a lot of books but if you hear them talk, very little wisdom comes out. Isn’t that surprising? Why does that happen?
My hypothesis is that reading is necessary but NOT sufficient. True understanding comes from assimilating the ideas, reflecting on them, and connecting the dots. Just piling up finished books is no good.
When you read any book, are you able to connect its ideas with the world around you? Does it explain things you have been perplexed by? Does it conflict with what you know or tell you things that make you uncomfortable? Does it change the way you make sense of life?
These are the kind of questions that transform the physical act of reading into what we call wisdom. When reduced to just a mechanical act, reading is like digging a well but not drinking the water when it is found.
In this age of social media, it is easy to get caught up in validation-seeking – we all face that danger. That is why you hear things like ‘I read one book per day.’
We already have enough rat races in our life – we don’t need one more.
– Rajan