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The Hidden Benefits of Reading Challenging Books
Reasons why we should get beyond instant gratification
According to writer and content creator Burk, we have about 11 seconds to hook people in the first section of an article before they bail on us. In a world where writers have only seconds to gain attention is there any benefit to reading something that could take weeks?
According to my Goodreads app, it took me six months to read all 700 pages of Jean-Paul Sartre’s book Being and Nothingness. At the end of it, I wondered why I read it all and what meaning it could have to my daily life.
A quick search on ChatGPT will tell you Sartre’s book is about existentialism, exploration of human freedom, a reflection on authenticity, and provides insight into phenomenology.
I wonder how that helps me get our kitchen remodel done, motivate me to cook spaghetti on a hot plate, face another week at work with possible layoffs, cope with a close family member who admits to substance abuse issues, find myself at midlife, get the house clean, buy presents, and just live my daily life.
While the information in many classical books isn’t going to help us necessarily deal with the details of our day it could do some of the following.
