From Medium:
The most useful definition of technology I’ve heard is simply, “the ability to do more with less.”
I think of books and reading as technologies.
We only live one life, but through books, we can gain the wisdom from thousands. When an author writes, re-writes, and edits, they are turning their words into a more perfect version of themselves. When you read, you get to spend time in a meditative state with a wise person’s more perfect self.
Books are the most under-valued and under-appreciated technology in the world.
How do we know they’re so valuable? We need only to examine how the best and the worst people throughout history have viewed books.
The worst seek to downplay, ban, or burn them. The fact that books have haters who are willing to destroy them confirms their power.
The best adore books… and aren’t afraid to celebrate them.
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2. Books and reading upgrade your mental operating system.
The best books are written when the author is in a flow state. The author transmits their wisdom, muse, or insights with minimal ego. When a reader seeking wisdom moves through these words and enters their own flow state… magic happens.
I don’t know how it works, but after enough time of reading, my mind always feels upgraded. Programming our minds by moving consciously into the flow state of another wise person is powerful. When we upgrade our mental OS, our main apps (speaking, writing, and communicating) all begin to run faster and more smoothly.
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5. Books and reading force a meditative practice where you’re forced to listen to the thoughts of a wise person.
The more we read and spend time with books, the more we practice mindfulness and meditation. Reading helps teach us patience, calmness, and builds our ability to focus deeply on a single thing for an extended period of time.
Link to the rest at Medium