In the twenty-first century, writing and ‘publishing’ have become easier than ever – and reading, due to the amount of material available to read and the rate at which we are communicating, has become harder than ever.
– John Freeman, The Tyranny of Email, p. 18
This line reminded me of the famous words of Neil Postman from Amusing Ourselves to Death:
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.
As a society we have become flooded with images and words. Why then would we want to read? We read all the time anyway – emails, blogs, text messages, tweets, Facebook statuses, etc. If you live in words, if everything is words, then nothing is words. It has become the air you breathe. Why choose one type of air over another? Who has time anyway? I took a shot at expressing this poetically HERE and HERE.
There is so much to give attention to these days that, giving our attention to everything, we can hardly give our attention to anything. Reading demands attention – deliberate, intentional, careful, self-forgetful attention. It demands an ‘abiding.’ Can you pull yourself out of this world inundated with words and images in order to focus on specific words and images that are vital to your well-being? That’s the issue. Can you fight off distraction and find focus without your ADHD meds? The problem is not simply that you have a short attention span, but that the world is yelling really loudly. Look over here! It’s always making noise. How could you not look?
Remember Lot’s wife.
Even when there are explosions in the background – hellfire and brimstone even. This is learning to find the ocean when there is water all around. Skipping past the pools, jumping into the water that matters, and closing your ears while you swim. It’s tough, but it’s an issue our modern technology forces us to address. Are you addressing it? How?
Fight boredom. This world is not boring. Men’s imaginations are boring. Books are not boring. Men’s reading habits are boring. ‘Bored’ and ‘boring’ are on the ‘no, no’ list in my house. You are bored because you are inundated with things to do. The problem is that you refuse to pick one – one. Can you be intentional? Can you decide, ‘I am going to read this book from cover to cover,’ and stick with it? The book probably isn’t nearly as boring as your wondering thoughts about yourself.
In one sense boredom is a good thing – it reminds us that we cannot be satisfied with the things of this world. In another sense it is a terrible thing. It’s like looking in the mirror and seeing something ugly. You can blame the mirror, like the wicked queen in Snow White, or you can realize that the ugliness is only a reflection of yourself. If you’re bored in your room, little one, it may not be because your room is boring. It may be that you have no imagination. What are you going to do about that? Start playing pretend until you get good at it. Set a goal: ‘I will play pretend today until I begin to enjoy it. I will not blame my room for my lack of joy.’
I’m bored. There are toys all around. This is boring. There’s the TV. Boring. There’s a bookshelf with lots of books. And they’re what’s boring? Imagine what they think of you?
Again, this all boils down to deliberateness. In a world of stuff you must teach yourself to find contentment with one article of that stuff. In this case, we are talking about books. In a world of words you must let your eyes rest on particular words at a particular time. The more you do so, the more you will want to do so. For the more you do so, the more your imagination will be furnished with garnishing that will make the next book more exciting. The less boring you become, the more exciting the next book will become. But you have to start somewhere. Dare I even say it? You could start by closing your browser, and this blog, and picking up a book you’ve wanted to read for a long time – and giving a barbaric yawp at anything that would dare distract you (except perhaps your spouse or children).
