I kind of have no choice but to have the life of the mind - because I was born disabled. I have a lot of medical issues, chronic pain, and can't work. But I can read and think. I love learning and reading. I struggled with reading comprehension in school but in my mid 20s (i'm 35 now) I figured that out on my own and now i'm an avid reader. I graduated high school in 2007 - and that's it.
I'm finally thriving and being who I want to be, and I love philosophy and to read and think. So while I do not love being disabled, and there are things I wish I could do that I can't, I *do* love the fact it gives me time to contemplate and read. I saw your video from YT recommending it and subbed.
I am also chronically ill and can’t work. Though my illness affects my ability to read as much as I would like, I also appreciate the space to think and to take my time to read books that I’ve always meant to read. I can understand where you’re coming from well. We don’t love it when people say “I wish I could stay home all day and not work” because the price is high, but, the space for quiet contemplation is something to be grateful for.
Exactly! I wish I didn't have this pain, and the surgeries, meds... that I could go out and do things and travel easily. The price is high. But I am very grateful for the space for quiet contemplation. I'm sorry your illness affects your ability to read as much as you'd like. <3
Thanks Jared, as an academic who has taught both in “elite” and “global” colleges i have definitely seen the decline in reading among students. I feel it also reflects a general decline in reading among all adults that is, as you point out, difficult to pinpoint. Hell, I have a hard time reading and focusing myself! And I honestly sometime feel the judgemental eye of my ancestors who worked the railways, raised families, lived through wars and still left behind more annotated books and notebooks than I ever will. 🙊
Yes, excellent. My undergrad was a joke. I dropped out of graduate school. Then we started having kids. That's where much fulfillment came. I can no longer do what I was doing without finishing the MFA, so now that my kids are grown, I do have time to dawdle... unfortunately. I do have a job, which is a bore. And I care for my elderly mother who has dementia and lives with us. So, my eldest son gifted me tuition to Peterson Academy. I apologize if I have mentioned this previously. It's just been such a Godsend. Since Sam joined the Marines, we've been in a bit of a friendly competition as to who can read the most. We compare our books on Goodreads. Thankfully, he can call frequently to discuss what each of us has been learning. It truly has been the most free education (aside from life, marriage, and babies) I have ever received. My kids say their mom is a "big brain" now. ☺️ Well, not compared to other intellectuals, but I'll take the compliment.
Undergrad education is rlly wasted on so many people. The vast majority of 18 - 22 year-olds are not there to learn - they're there to party and try to get laid. Unfortunately it's the state of the world that we're in, that rudimentary entry-level jobs require bachelor degrees. The only parties benefiting from this are universities' bank balances.
The phone is my biggest distraction, and that makes me disappointed in myself. As a retired person, I have all the time I need to immerse myself in so many forms of education. However, it’s just too tempting to grab the phone and fall down innumerable rabbit holes. I need discipline and am working on a plan to achieve it.
It is sad that phones--or rather the apps that are on them as well as internet connection--is basically necessary to the modern lifestyle. For many years, I resisted having a smartphone but it got to the point that it became awkward. For example, when I would go to the store they would want to send something to my phone so they could scan it; when I was at the bank, the clerks would want to send forms to my email immediately so I could approve them; and everyone assumes that the phone number you give them can receive texts. I have a smartphone now but I put it away and never use it except when I go out. But unfortunately, I have a laptop and fire tablet that offers the same kinds of distractions! As much as I want to use a paper dictionary, it can never compete with digital dictionaries.
I grew up with an untrained focus, a lack of appreciation for the art of slowing down, an un-excitement with respect to reading, a penchant for video games, and—frankly—a laziness and pride of the intellect.
Reading wasn’t just something I couldn’t really do. I didn’t care to do it. I had “better” things to do. It was hard. And I didn’t get anything out of it. Until I realized I had no idea what I’m doing, and accepted that I don’t know anything (thanks Socrates!).
My view on what reading meant was very constrained to just consumption. Crushing books. This intimidated me because it wasn’t working for me. So I just checked out.
It wasn’t until I realized I could read whatever I like, however I like, at whatever pace I like, getting whatever I like out of the book, then it clicked.
Your story on “getting through” your undergrad resonated with me (although my loved ones would beg to differ—I wasn’t exactly RACING through my 6.5 years of “studying”, lol).
Thanks for continuing to make noise on this. All the love Jared.
A few years ago when I was in grad school, I took a class called "Reading" which was a class on the history of reading education in K-12 American schools. I can't remember the details of all that we had learned (I did remember the discussion between phonics and whole language learning) but the overall consensus is that interest in reading is seriously declining among the lower age groups. Part of it is the way reading is taught to younger children, but a lot of the problems stem from the decline of reading programs in schools and libraries. However, many of the students and the professor believed that the current reading curriculum (especially in high schools) is the major cause of students lack of interest in reading. Many students complained about having to read Shakespeare and Mark Twain saying that the stories of white European writers are the cause of young adult apathy towards reading. In other words, the reading curriculum needs to be decolonized and populated with books that are more entertaining and "relatable" to American students. The idea that we need to diversify the reading curriculum is a predominant trend in higher academia thought. And while I am not against expanding the reading canon, I have my reservations about including books that are simply entertaining as some of my fellow classmates suggested (i.e. YA fiction, Harry Potter). Essentially what I learned in my teaching classes is that teachers need to focus on "entertaining" rather than "educating," which I feel is a real blow to how we want to view learning in general. If kids nowadays refuse to read and learn unless it is "entertaining" to them, then they will never learn the value of learning for the sake of enlightenment and moral improvement.
I would think it's more likely that those books are over a century old. Multiple centuries for Shakespeare. They were writing for an audience that doesn't exist anymore. Surely giving them something written in the century they were born would be more successful? It doesn't have to be YA, although I wouldn't discount it entirely.
I agree that adding to the curriculum books that are more recent in literary influence is important (especially those that respond to current issues) but there is an overwhelming trend to focus on rejecting European authors and replace with works that are hardly known but fit the diversity ideology. Not all professors are caving in to this for sure, but when I was in grad school they were starting to add in Beyonce and Grady Hendrix into the American literature curriculum. Grad school is a whole other animal of education though: the classes are monstrous experiments in joining unconventional ideas together which I don't completely dislike but I feel is inappropriate for K-12 education. But the thing is that they are encouraging this way of approaching K-12 in grad-level teaching courses.
As for Shakespeare and other centuries-old works: I believe that it is a disservice to our culture to not study those works (regardless if people think they are great or not) because they were so highly influential to our language and literature. Yes, they require more effort in the sense of additional reading and deciphering of older uses of language. But I feel that young people should be encouraged to find enjoyment in challenging reading rather than caving in to an entitlement to fun.
I grew up with a love of reading (and strict limits on TV), and it really saddens me that my young half siblings (both below 12 years old) seem to prefer screens to reading. I'm worried that they'll forever be cut off from much of literature simply because they didn't develop sufficient reading skills.
No idea how to address this other than to be the cool older brother who reads and hope mimetic behavior takes over.
I kind of have no choice but to have the life of the mind - because I was born disabled. I have a lot of medical issues, chronic pain, and can't work. But I can read and think. I love learning and reading. I struggled with reading comprehension in school but in my mid 20s (i'm 35 now) I figured that out on my own and now i'm an avid reader. I graduated high school in 2007 - and that's it.
I'm finally thriving and being who I want to be, and I love philosophy and to read and think. So while I do not love being disabled, and there are things I wish I could do that I can't, I *do* love the fact it gives me time to contemplate and read. I saw your video from YT recommending it and subbed.
I am also chronically ill and can’t work. Though my illness affects my ability to read as much as I would like, I also appreciate the space to think and to take my time to read books that I’ve always meant to read. I can understand where you’re coming from well. We don’t love it when people say “I wish I could stay home all day and not work” because the price is high, but, the space for quiet contemplation is something to be grateful for.
Exactly! I wish I didn't have this pain, and the surgeries, meds... that I could go out and do things and travel easily. The price is high. But I am very grateful for the space for quiet contemplation. I'm sorry your illness affects your ability to read as much as you'd like. <3
Thank you! It’s always to nice to chat with someone who understand!
Thanks Jared, as an academic who has taught both in “elite” and “global” colleges i have definitely seen the decline in reading among students. I feel it also reflects a general decline in reading among all adults that is, as you point out, difficult to pinpoint. Hell, I have a hard time reading and focusing myself! And I honestly sometime feel the judgemental eye of my ancestors who worked the railways, raised families, lived through wars and still left behind more annotated books and notebooks than I ever will. 🙊
Yes, excellent. My undergrad was a joke. I dropped out of graduate school. Then we started having kids. That's where much fulfillment came. I can no longer do what I was doing without finishing the MFA, so now that my kids are grown, I do have time to dawdle... unfortunately. I do have a job, which is a bore. And I care for my elderly mother who has dementia and lives with us. So, my eldest son gifted me tuition to Peterson Academy. I apologize if I have mentioned this previously. It's just been such a Godsend. Since Sam joined the Marines, we've been in a bit of a friendly competition as to who can read the most. We compare our books on Goodreads. Thankfully, he can call frequently to discuss what each of us has been learning. It truly has been the most free education (aside from life, marriage, and babies) I have ever received. My kids say their mom is a "big brain" now. ☺️ Well, not compared to other intellectuals, but I'll take the compliment.
Undergrad education is rlly wasted on so many people. The vast majority of 18 - 22 year-olds are not there to learn - they're there to party and try to get laid. Unfortunately it's the state of the world that we're in, that rudimentary entry-level jobs require bachelor degrees. The only parties benefiting from this are universities' bank balances.
The phone is my biggest distraction, and that makes me disappointed in myself. As a retired person, I have all the time I need to immerse myself in so many forms of education. However, it’s just too tempting to grab the phone and fall down innumerable rabbit holes. I need discipline and am working on a plan to achieve it.
It is sad that phones--or rather the apps that are on them as well as internet connection--is basically necessary to the modern lifestyle. For many years, I resisted having a smartphone but it got to the point that it became awkward. For example, when I would go to the store they would want to send something to my phone so they could scan it; when I was at the bank, the clerks would want to send forms to my email immediately so I could approve them; and everyone assumes that the phone number you give them can receive texts. I have a smartphone now but I put it away and never use it except when I go out. But unfortunately, I have a laptop and fire tablet that offers the same kinds of distractions! As much as I want to use a paper dictionary, it can never compete with digital dictionaries.
I grew up with an untrained focus, a lack of appreciation for the art of slowing down, an un-excitement with respect to reading, a penchant for video games, and—frankly—a laziness and pride of the intellect.
Reading wasn’t just something I couldn’t really do. I didn’t care to do it. I had “better” things to do. It was hard. And I didn’t get anything out of it. Until I realized I had no idea what I’m doing, and accepted that I don’t know anything (thanks Socrates!).
My view on what reading meant was very constrained to just consumption. Crushing books. This intimidated me because it wasn’t working for me. So I just checked out.
It wasn’t until I realized I could read whatever I like, however I like, at whatever pace I like, getting whatever I like out of the book, then it clicked.
Your story on “getting through” your undergrad resonated with me (although my loved ones would beg to differ—I wasn’t exactly RACING through my 6.5 years of “studying”, lol).
Thanks for continuing to make noise on this. All the love Jared.
A few years ago when I was in grad school, I took a class called "Reading" which was a class on the history of reading education in K-12 American schools. I can't remember the details of all that we had learned (I did remember the discussion between phonics and whole language learning) but the overall consensus is that interest in reading is seriously declining among the lower age groups. Part of it is the way reading is taught to younger children, but a lot of the problems stem from the decline of reading programs in schools and libraries. However, many of the students and the professor believed that the current reading curriculum (especially in high schools) is the major cause of students lack of interest in reading. Many students complained about having to read Shakespeare and Mark Twain saying that the stories of white European writers are the cause of young adult apathy towards reading. In other words, the reading curriculum needs to be decolonized and populated with books that are more entertaining and "relatable" to American students. The idea that we need to diversify the reading curriculum is a predominant trend in higher academia thought. And while I am not against expanding the reading canon, I have my reservations about including books that are simply entertaining as some of my fellow classmates suggested (i.e. YA fiction, Harry Potter). Essentially what I learned in my teaching classes is that teachers need to focus on "entertaining" rather than "educating," which I feel is a real blow to how we want to view learning in general. If kids nowadays refuse to read and learn unless it is "entertaining" to them, then they will never learn the value of learning for the sake of enlightenment and moral improvement.
I would think it's more likely that those books are over a century old. Multiple centuries for Shakespeare. They were writing for an audience that doesn't exist anymore. Surely giving them something written in the century they were born would be more successful? It doesn't have to be YA, although I wouldn't discount it entirely.
I agree that adding to the curriculum books that are more recent in literary influence is important (especially those that respond to current issues) but there is an overwhelming trend to focus on rejecting European authors and replace with works that are hardly known but fit the diversity ideology. Not all professors are caving in to this for sure, but when I was in grad school they were starting to add in Beyonce and Grady Hendrix into the American literature curriculum. Grad school is a whole other animal of education though: the classes are monstrous experiments in joining unconventional ideas together which I don't completely dislike but I feel is inappropriate for K-12 education. But the thing is that they are encouraging this way of approaching K-12 in grad-level teaching courses.
As for Shakespeare and other centuries-old works: I believe that it is a disservice to our culture to not study those works (regardless if people think they are great or not) because they were so highly influential to our language and literature. Yes, they require more effort in the sense of additional reading and deciphering of older uses of language. But I feel that young people should be encouraged to find enjoyment in challenging reading rather than caving in to an entitlement to fun.
I grew up with a love of reading (and strict limits on TV), and it really saddens me that my young half siblings (both below 12 years old) seem to prefer screens to reading. I'm worried that they'll forever be cut off from much of literature simply because they didn't develop sufficient reading skills.
No idea how to address this other than to be the cool older brother who reads and hope mimetic behavior takes over.