You can either read the essay down below or watch the video essay on the YouTube website/app (from here).
In this essay, I am going to argue about how reading makes you think and why it's more important than ever.
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
― Margaret Mead
Why think? The less you think, the more vulnerable you are. And more likely you will do what others want us to do. If you need to make someone fool, just make sure they won't think.
Introduction to new ideas
Advertisements don't want you to think critically.
For example, Apple wants you to think "Which iPhone to buy?". Not which phone to buy.
And not any smartphone company wants you to think about whether you need a smartphone or not.
And not any pornography website wants you to think about what this is impacting on your self-esteem.
Not many social media website wants you to think whats the opportunity cost of spending time on their service.
Not any medicine company wants you to think about the benefits of exercise.
Knowing the steps you want to take in life
You can't think without having some raw material. Philosophy is a huge source of raw material.
When you start to read books, you will have a collection of mental models, and those models you can take whatever you like and apply to your life.
Mental models help you make better-informed decisions in your life. You will have answers to some questions in your life or at least a better approach, you are building wisdom in the process. And that too from those writers amazing people.
Ideas like not using social media at all (digital minimalist) or how pornography, which is being mainstreamed, is bad for your brain (Your Brain on porn).
Life is already suffering, of course, a suffering worth experiencing but you can lessen that suffering and get what you want in your life by educating yourself by reading books and thinking for yourself.