the reading bucket

no, let’s call it a reading river.

i have stocked up my library. for the summer, at least. maybe sufficient to get me through autumn and winter also. slowly but surely i need to add a shelf for spanish language books only.

then one of my brothers added some books too.

now, i need to simply read them all. in order, of course. do i?

no, i don’t. i can still decide to not read one or the other. or partially read them, skim them, read a summary. if i read them, what is the purpose of reading them? do i need to achieve anything by reading them?

why call it a reading river then?

one of my brothers (the very same one from above) recently recommended a podcast. in it, oliver burkeman reflects on information overload and uses the metaphor of a river. as a writer, he laughs at the irony that he contributes to the very problem he criticizes. there are already more books, essays, newsletters, podcasts, and videos than any of us could ever consume. and yet the river keeps growing.

every unread book (article, et cetera) can feel like a debt. every recommendation can feel like another obligation. reading becomes less about curiosity and more about keeping up.

reading is not a mountain to conquer. it is a river. it never asks you to drink all its water. it simply keeps flowing. you kneel down, take a few handfuls, and continue your journey. the river loses nothing, no matter how many people drink from it. neither do you. trying to drink it all would only drown you.

reading is not abundance but selection. not speed, but attention. not finishing everything, but allowing a few ideas to remain with you long after you close a book. some books arrive exactly when you need them. others wait for years before they reveal themselves. many (most) you will never read at all.

that is not a failure. it is a consequence of living a finite life in an infinite river of ideas. a changing river, tomorrow the river will carry different water.

the purpose of a library is therefore not to remind you of everything you haven't read. it is to remind you that wisdom is always flowing. you only need to stop, kneel down, and drink.

here in norway i am reading two books. both are in spanish. one an essay on meditation, the other a novel. reach out for recommendations, but don’t feel obliged to follow them.