On Reading and Re-reading
I’ve never been a fan of reading the classics for many reasons: - Bad memories of such books being rammed down my throat in school (c’mon, system, kids are too young to appreciate or absorb anything from such books); - The English of such books is so old and different from what is used today that it is a pain to make sense of it; - Almost all those books are ambiguous (I know, I know: ambiguity allows you to interpret it in different ways across cultures and ages; but I prefer authors writing what they mean and meaning what they write). Given my views on the subject, I didn’t see Arthur Schopenhauer’s point that we should read the classics because they are old : “It is because people will only read what is the newest instead of what is the best of all ages, that writers remain in the narrow circle of prevailing ideas, and that the age sinks deeper and deeper in its own mire.” Excellent point! Differing, even opposing views are so important to read up: after all, that’s...