Being an avid emailer, you might suspect I am subscribed to a bunch of newsletters.
And you'd be right on all counts.
I follow a bunch of people across a multitude of spheres for a variety of different reasons, but one email captured my attention (and concern) the other day that I feel compelled to share.
It also shamelessly rubs my reading bias the right way, so there's that too.
Anyway, the content itself touched on the importance of cutting down on short-form videos and increasing our reading/listening time of books.
Most of us can get on board with that.
Most of us are already doing it.
What was most stark wasn't so much his argument for such habits, but rather the pretty tragic image he attached:
Now, full disclosure: I haven't ventured into Mordor to verify the scan's origins. For all I know, it could be a load of hogwash. There's also no knowing whether the person purported in the TikTok scan was watching intellectual junk or educational material; the same thing goes for the book reader.
What I do know from personal experience is that whenever I read or listen to a book that ignites my imagination or sparks my critical thinking, I can practically feel my brain pulsate.
Like a muscle being worked, almost.
More:
I find that if I go weeks without reading, my own ability to articulate sentences starts to rust. Weird, I know. The same, however, cannot be said when I take a break from short-form content.
If anything, I think better.
So even if this scan is about as real as a Bigfoot riding a dragon, I don't think anyone with two brain cells to rub together would disagree that reading a good book is far more nutritious for the mind than endless exposure to TikTok videos.
With emphasis on "good," I should add.
Luckily for you, my dedicated disciple, I'm only in the business of producing stories that activate your imagination and catapult you to realms you don't want to leave.
What's that I hear?
You'd like to escape to one such place?
No trouble at all!
You can escape to my latest one here.
DJJW