(Dumb Question Alert) What's the point of reading books If I forget them anyway?

[Rasheed]

This question is dumb but still I wanted to ask it:

•  What's the point of reading books If I forget them anyway?

Seriously, I read 500 page books by Friedrich Perls or Sigmund Freud, how am I supposed to remember this stuff?  Am I doing something wrong? I am not taking any notes, should I?

Do you remember what you read? Do you remember the book you've read 2 years ago? 

That's why I am thinking, what If I read 200 books and then I forget all this shit I read, what was the point? This means I wasted my time and reading books is waste of time?...

[Carl-Richard]

Firstly, you won't forget everything, and secondly, you embody the knowledge in your life by acting on it when you learn it. This happens both automatically in more subtle ways and intentionally when pursuing new ideas. For example, imagine that you read about the benefits of good posture. Sure, you forget 90% of the details of the physiological explanations behind why it's good, but you'll still probably strive to have a better posture more than before, and you'll experience the benefits of that passively over time, impacting all aspects of your life, and you'll probably also be inspired to read more about ways to easily optimize your body on a day-to-day basis.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[Zeroguy]

@Carl-Richard 48 laws of power.

[Gesundheit2]

That's why I don't read except what I think is necessary for me. I don't just gather information for the sake of information, my brain capacity is limited, and digesting information especially if new and/or complex takes time and energy. I don't read novels at all. I've only read like two or three books of that genre.

However, one possible and valid use of mindlessly reading could be to brainwash your subconscious mind and program it with certain beliefs that you want. Sometimes, you'd need to change certain beliefs about yourself and/or life, and you might feel stuck trying to deprogram certain limiting beliefs, so that technique could be helpful.

[Space]

@Rasheed Nah i don't remember anything from books i've read. But I do have a general sense of the books I've read and usually a handful or sometimes just 1 useful piece of advice. You gotta be intentional about turning the book into a few actionable bits of advice to test out. 

It's funny that you're profile pic is one of Cal's books because they're my favorite non-fiction books and some of the only books that have actually changed my life. But i don't remember quotes or text passages from the books, just general insights and messages. But usually you need to read a significant part of the book to understand those general insights and messages and know how to implement them into your life.

I find that books tend to have the biggest impact in the short term. You read a book, get a few pieces of actionable advice, test out those actions in the short term. See whats works, what doesn't etc. Something might work in the short term but then you forget about it 2 years down the line. Nothing wrong with that and I think thats pretty normal for most people.

I don't read much these days though. It really is true that most books could be condensed into 1 chapter.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Space

[IDressMyDog]

If you read this much

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You'll remember this much

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If you read that much 

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You'll remember

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Anyway I suppose it comes down to a subject. Some topics become useless to read about since your self-knowledge goes beyond any concepts or ideas. 

But when you aim to remember most stuff or put them into practice then taking notes absolutely makes sense, doesn't it?

Same with learning evergreen skills, science etc. There's no way of simply remembering all the things you read.

 

[ShardMare]

Its about understanding stuff. Something will stick in ur brain. Even from 100% lets say 10%. 

I just skim through stuff, think about what i need f.e. idea, whats important from idea then im done.

I have bad memory but i bet everybody forgets most of the ideas read from the book.

 

Thinking for yourself, contemplation imo just makes better connections in ur brain.

 

But ultimately the good stuff is u feed ur unconscious. The more u learn, the more it will stick im ur brain(even if its few ideas)

[effortlesslumen]

Some things will be remembered. Dont underestimate the impact of information stored in the unconscious mind. Some Information, thought lost, might get activated when you are in a deep thinking process and you get hold of the knowledge. Also if you perceive some parts as meaningfull to you write them down or gather the key information.  There are certain brain areas involved in reading, so it keeps you sharp.

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by effortlesslumen

[Rasheed]

1 hour ago, Carl-Richard said:

Firstly, you won't forget everything, and secondly, you embody the knowledge in your life by acting on it when you learn it. This happens both automatically in more subtle ways and intentionally when pursuing new ideas. For example, imagine that you read about the benefits of good posture. Sure, you forget 90% of the details of the physiological explanations behind why it's good, but you'll still probably strive to have a better posture more than before, and you'll experience the benefits of that passively over time, impacting all aspects of your life, and you'll probably also be inspired to read more about ways to easily optimize your body on a day-to-day basis.

Yeah but that is if reading practical books. Now I am reading more intellectual books such as for example Ernest Becker's 'Birth and Death of Meaning' or now I am reading Freud's "A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis". What then? 

Truth be told I asked this question because as a psychologist, I wanna go ahead and read 500 great psychology books but what then? What is the benefit if I go ahead and forgot the shit I read anyway...I read 500 page book about Gestalt Therapy read by F. Perls couple months ago, it was hard read, I don't remember exact stuff but I have a general idea. I mean, come on...

[Carl-Richard]

21 minutes ago, Rasheed said:

Yeah but that is if reading practical books.

Nuh-uh-uh, that's where you're wrong. Learning an abstract concept still effects your life in subtle ways and in more overt ways, even if you don't bring it to mind ever again. Besides, I think forgetting most of the things you read is an unreasonable expectation, unless your reading is totally disorganized and not related to any previously acquired knowledge. You don't just forget about some very important associations your mind makes. I can't begin to talk about how much what I've learned the last 10 years has impacted my life today. Almost 10 years ago, I was super-interested in neuropharmacology and learning about mechanisms like "up/downregulation", and today, my understanding of those mechanisms are directly associated with some of my latest insights about spirituality, health and meaning that radically changed my life.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[Rasheed]

19 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

Nuh-uh-uh, that's where you're wrong. Learning an abstract concept still effects your life in subtle ways and in more overt ways, even if you don't bring it to mind ever again. Besides, I think forgetting most of the things you read is an unreasonable expectation, unless your reading is totally disorganized and not related to any previously acquired knowledge. You don't just forget about some very important associations your mind makes. I can't begin to talk about how much what I've learned the last 10 years has impacted my life today. Almost 10 years ago, I was super-interested in neuropharmacology and learning about mechanisms like "up/downregulation", and today, my understanding of those mechanisms are directly associated with some of my latest insights about spirituality, health and meaning that radically changed my life.

Cool. Do you advise taking notes on reading? I am reading psychology books... I am not taking notes, I only write down some profound ideas and principles but anything else I do note, is this a blunder?

[Carl-Richard]

4 minutes ago, Rasheed said:

Cool. Do you advise taking notes on reading? I am reading psychology books... I am not taking notes, I only write down some profound ideas and principles but anything else I do note, is this a blunder?

I'm not for taking notes as some mechanical chore. If I have an insight which I feel is important, I have a notepad for that. I write those down irrespective of whether I'm reading or not, but of course, they may arise while I'm reading. Do what feels the most meaningful to you  

Edited January 5, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[Rasheed]

2 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

I'm not for taking notes as some mechanical chore. If I have an insight which I feel is important, I have a notepad for that. I write those down irrespective of whether I'm reading or not, but of course, they may arise while I'm reading. Do what feels the most meaningful to you  

Nice. Thanks for help.

[Carl-Richard]

11 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

I'm not for taking notes as some mechanical chore.

I'll clarify though: I also take notes about many other things than insights or ideas, but they're more daily things like remembering to do something, and I'm actually very diligent about doing that. I think note-taking habits are really important, but just make it meaningful and not some dry robotic thing.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Carl-Richard

[roopepa]

2 hours ago, Rasheed said:

What's the point of reading books If I forget them anyway?

Because it's fun.

Do what feels good to you.

[thepixelmonk]

 

[UnbornTao]

It empowers your contemplations, gives you the land to cultivate, so to speak. 

Study, contemplation and practice are essential aspects of any subject or activity that is multi-dimensional. They feed each other.

But study is different from reading. The point of the former is to gain a rough, incomplete, intellectual understanding of the subject matter, not merely to memorize information.

Reading could be used as a way to experience what the author is pointing to, which seems to me the most effective way to go about it. The way most of us do it is by consuming words, much in the same way as watching TV.

Try to bring in some mindfulness to the activity.

Edited January 5, 2023 by UnbornTao

[Razard86]

Reading does a couple of things. 

1. Raises your ability to think, as you think through language.

2. Expands your point of view, if you don't read you will just reinvent the wheel on everything you do. If you don't want to read fine, listen to people who do read at least you can glean something since they have done the work for you.

3. The more you read= the more life times you have lived. You are literally gaining perspectives of people who have gone before you.

4. Makes you a better communicator in being able to organize your thoughts and communicate them effectively.

5. Increases your ability to make sense of what others are communicating.

But hey you can always not read....and not gain any of these things.

Then your conversations will be only about music, current events, and the news. That totally sounds like someone that is interesting to talk with....LOL.

Now you should pair reading with CONTEMPLATION as well. Otherwise...you become a parrot lol.

Edited January 5, 2023 by Razard86

[Lyubov]

Taking notes can help. Also, I think broad strokes of the right material can be remembered and brought into your belief system. I think if it’s book you are forgetting, it might not have been very good or helpful in the first place. I would like to read more. Do you have any tips for making reading a daily habit? 

[Matt23]

I think IDEALLY one reads what one is doing and focusing on.  == Probably the best way to know something long-term and remember. 

Like, if you know your LP or your top priority, maybe researching AI, then bam!  Read all the heck you can on that subject and contemplate those things.  ==  I'm sure this will super-charge what you remember and how you ingest the information because it's your top passion and what you are already focusing on and thinking about and implementing/practicing.  

Also having people to talk about with helps too.  Like a cohort or team of people who are all working on AI coming together and chatting about ideas and research they've come across.  == Super super charge learning cuz you get...

1. Passion and focus on the one subject
2. Personal research
3. Other people's perspectives 
4. refining your own thinking through explaining