What's The Point of Reading Books? Scott Shaw

What's The Point of Reading Books?

Scott Shaw

What's the point of reading books if you haven't gone to the source and found out the basis of culture and mindset for where those books were written?

It is very common for people of the modern world to be drawn to a specific mindset: be it spiritual, political, or cultural. Once they develop this fascination -- which may come from any number of sources, they then go out and buy book after book on the subject, filling their thinking mind with the words written upon those pages. From this, they then believe that they have an actual understanding of what is being taught in those writing. Quite simply, they are wrong.

People love to debate, discuss, and philosophize about subjects that they are interested in. There is a certain mindset, to a specific style of personality, who feels that they know all and that the opinion they develop, about a specific subject, is the only one that is right. Some of these people become great orators, skilled conversationalists, and pretty much win any debate they enter, either by impressing their point upon the fragile mind's of those people they are talking with or simply by bullying their way through the conversation to get their point across.

On the other hand, some people love to learn. As such, they believe that their must maintain an open mind in order to allow each person to express themselves. From this, they believe that they may possibly learn from what another person is saying.

In either of these cases, one must ask what is the source of the knowledge that it being disseminated? Where has the person who is talking, gained their wisdom?

It must be understood that most people do not possess first-hand knowledge. They may have been taught what they are speaking about in school, read about it in a book, or perhaps heard it from someone else. Though they may believe the point of view they are presenting -- that belief does not make it a valid, actual, or universally true fact. It is simply an opinion that they are presenting.

This is the birthplace for problems.

People present their opinions as facts. But, these opinions have no bases in reality and are certainly not universal truths. They are simply opinions.

As stated, some people are great orators and they influence other people to believe as they believe. But, if what they are detailing is, "Borrowed Knowledge," something not based upon personal realizations, then what they are speaking about is not founded in truth.

What is opinion? Opinion is a personal preference based in cultural, socioeconomic, and personality based reality. Thus, it is personal not a universal truth.

How often have we each heard people discussing their opinions. We see this on television, read it in magazines, in books, and witness it in coffee houses all the time. But, what do the people who express their opinion actually know? With very few exceptions, they know nothing. Their entire reality is based upon speculation and programming. And, they are too small-minded to even realize this.

Every culture on this planet breeds a particular mindset of opinions based in its cultural and religious ideologies. As the planet has become smaller, and information is more readily available, hearing about an opinion or philosophy possessed by another culture has become more and more available. Combine this with the fact that most people, as evolving individuals, at some time, become bored or dissatisfied with their own cultural philosophy. From this, many decide that the allure and the promises of another culture's opinions has much more to offer and is much more appealing than the one that is currently possessed. So, people read about this culture and the new cultural philosophy, they talk about it, and go to lectures. But, though they may study it, they do not live it.

Since the dawning of the new age, where western minds turned to the ideologies of the east, many westerners have believed that all that is holy can be found in some far off land like India. Have you ever been to India? Have you ever witnessed the poverty and the violence that is everywhere? Most people have not. Yet, they still hold fast to their belief that India is the source of spirituality.

Then, there are those who dismiss this fact or explain it away. They say, "Well, if you look for the spiritual under the surface of their society, you will find it." Or, "It was very spiritual place in ages gone past."

But, ages gone past, are ages gone. They are not now. This is now. And, "Under the surface," is an excuse or a justification, not a reality.

Which brings us to the point. If you haven't lived it, you don't understand it. No book can give you knowledge. Only living it can give you knowledge.

You may learn from a book what you do or do not want to try to experience. But, do not mistake that the words written in a book are the absolute source of truth. They are not. Mostly, they are just opinions.

This is the same for those who speak their mind. Have they lived what they discuss? And, just because they may have travel to a place, does not mean that they have lived the reality of a culture. And, furthermore, just because someone else has done something, does not mean that you too can live it -- as each person's karma is universally different.

So, put down the pages. Stop listening to the loudmouths. And, live.

Living is where the truth is born.

Scott Shaw.com