(no subject)
BIG THOUGHT
On Meet the Press, Doris Kearns Goodwin (presidential historian) said she liked Obama because he studies history, and studying history, in her experience, makes a person BIGGER
In addition, she often writes biographies of presidents, including Lincoln. When she wrote her biography of Lincoln, she said that she "went to bed with him at night, got up with him in the morning," and that by spending so much time with him, she became a
BETTER PERSON
Indeed! If you read about someone, you are spending time with that person. So why not read about virtuous people? Spend time with the best the human race has to offer? Just like good friends lift you up, reading about good people can lift you up.
And it must be READING.. Documentaries and such are full of images, and images are the great whore. They appeal to the emotions and are fleeting They are absorbed passively; the mind is not full active.
Reading requires full engagement. The mind is not passive but active; it makes the material come to life. Therefore it requires more attention. AND.. Reading uses rational, concrete words, not fleetig emotional images. Reading allows for sustained meditation on a subject, which makes for better retention and fuller absorbtion
We spend most of our time fulfilling obligations and trying to amuse ourselves. What about becoming more virtuous? It can be as simple as hanging around better people--and better people are to be found quite easily in books.
Whoever you read about, thats who you're spending time with.. We must use this to our advantage
On Meet the Press, Doris Kearns Goodwin (presidential historian) said she liked Obama because he studies history, and studying history, in her experience, makes a person BIGGER
In addition, she often writes biographies of presidents, including Lincoln. When she wrote her biography of Lincoln, she said that she "went to bed with him at night, got up with him in the morning," and that by spending so much time with him, she became a
BETTER PERSON
Indeed! If you read about someone, you are spending time with that person. So why not read about virtuous people? Spend time with the best the human race has to offer? Just like good friends lift you up, reading about good people can lift you up.
And it must be READING.. Documentaries and such are full of images, and images are the great whore. They appeal to the emotions and are fleeting They are absorbed passively; the mind is not full active.
Reading requires full engagement. The mind is not passive but active; it makes the material come to life. Therefore it requires more attention. AND.. Reading uses rational, concrete words, not fleetig emotional images. Reading allows for sustained meditation on a subject, which makes for better retention and fuller absorbtion
We spend most of our time fulfilling obligations and trying to amuse ourselves. What about becoming more virtuous? It can be as simple as hanging around better people--and better people are to be found quite easily in books.
Whoever you read about, thats who you're spending time with.. We must use this to our advantage