Too busy to read books? Maybe that’s why you should. Most of us can empathise with Hugh McGuire when he writes:
… I found myself drowning in a flood of easy information. The internet — and all the lovely things on it … — provides unlimited sources of delight at the touch of a finger.
The delight, indeed, abounds. But it's not always delightful. It comes with some suffering, too. I was distracted at work, distracted spending time with family and friends, constantly tired and irritable, and always swimming against a wash of ambient stress induced by my constant itch for digital information. My stress had an electronic feel to it, as if it was made up of the very bits and bytes on my screens. And I was exhausted. (1)
His solution — read books.
I started to wonder: could training myself to read books again help me manage the digital information stress in the rest of my life? Could the cure for too much information be slower information? In the same way that snake venom can be used to produce curative antivenom, I wondered whether that old, slower form of information delivery — books — could act as a kind of antidote to the stress caused by the constant flow of new digital information. Whether my inability to sustain my focus — at work, at home, and while reading books — could be cured by finding ways to once again sustain my focus … on a book. (2)
Indeed there seems to be a resurgence in the reading of physical books. There are also many articles that tell us why reading is good for us. The following list comes from an article (3) that tells us why it is critical that school children read, but I believe it applies to readers of all ages:
- Reading helps to develop empathy and foster connection with perspective taking.
- Reading improves critical thinking skills.
- Reading builds vocabulary authentically and enhances conversation skills.
- Reading teaches social skills and allows for “rehearsal” of universal experiences.
- Reading strengthens cognitive processes.
- Reading is important because it helps to build background knowledge.
- Reading can help reduce stress for all ages.
- Reading can improve sleep.
- Reading helps to build and maintain memory.
- Reading strengthens writing skills.
- Reading also strengthens language and communication skills.
- Reading builds sturdier problem-solving skills.
- Reading can provide a sense of support and belonging — particularly for those who might feel “on the outside”.
When I took a closer look at the list it seemed that it is adults who most need to read books in the divided world we live in.
There is one book of course that Christians ought to be reading regularly. Two Sundays ago I was preaching on the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. It struck me afresh how much of that journey of Jesus and the two disciples was spent with the hidden Jesus showing the two where the Scriptures spoke about Him. Jesus would soon return to the Father and He was showing the disciples that here on in they would encounter Christ in the Scriptures. We need to study the Bible accurately, with proper interpretation, but our ultimate goal in Bible study is not just to encounter the Word of God but the God of the Word. We read the Bible because we want to walk with Christ.
For many reasons, the people of God ought to be reading people, reading the Word and reading generally.
Right now, I am doing my Bible readings in the NET translation. Just finished the book of Hebrews. As for books, I am rereading The Water Room (2004) by Christopher Fowler. I still think it’s the best in The Byant and May series. And I am thoroughly enjoying The Illustrated Book of Japanese Haiku (2024) by William Scott Wilson, a treasured gift from my darling Bernice during our recent holiday in Japan. It has inspired me to write haikus again.
So remember, in an age of too much information, try slower information.
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(1) Hugh McGuire, “How Making Time for Books Made Me Feel Less Busy,” Harvard Business Review OnPoint, Winter 2018, 90.
(2) Hugh Macguire, 91.
(3) https://www.95percentgroup.com/insights/reading-importance/