Before I talk about The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt, given that this is my last Monday Morning Reading, I wanted to share a few thoughts about reading. Through sharing in this space over the last few years, I’ve had lots of opportunities for conversation about reading, and it’s given me some food for thought.
I didn’t particularly like reading growing up. It was usually a chore, though from time to time I enjoyed it (e.g. Gordon Korman, Piers Anthony, David Eddings). All I really wanted to do was play sports and hang out with my friends. It wasn’t until I was 16 that things changed. It was at that time that I became more curious about the world, struggling to understand it and my place in it, and reading became my gateway to this understanding. It became my most reliable form of learning.
From that point onward, I read pretty broadly. I recently came across a notebook I kept from my year in yeshiva after high school, and a lot of it referenced books I’d read, and their relationship to what I was learning in yeshiva. I was lucky to have family members that are readers, so books were ever-present. It’s how I learned about writers like Paul Auster, A.J. Heschel, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Milan Kundera and others. When I went back to learn in Israel after university, I kept a ‘reading journal’ where I’d write quotes from the books I read. My schedule was, for the most part – learn from 9-5, then read each evening.
What I discovered over time was that reading had become, for me, not a luxury, but a need. I took a break from reading very much during my years in kollel, as I focused pretty strictly on Torah learning. It was only when I started reading again after this time that I realized not only how much I missed it, but how much it filled me, and how much I needed it. In some sense, that I can’t better explain, I needed the words, the ideas, the new worlds that opened up to me. This was true whether I was reading fiction or nonfiction, and continue to read both avidly. Sometimes I find this a limitation, with reading acting as a default to other activities – social, athletic, etc. I’m often not sure if it’s a rational trade-off, or default to what’s comfortable. I also find that sometimes I read without pausing to reflect out of a need to read more rather than digest.
Perhaps as a way to justify my own need to read, I’ve taken President Harry Truman’s words seriously, that ‘while not all readers are leaders, all leaders are readers.’ Charlie Munger, someone who I deeply admire, has a version of the same quote. It’s a bit self serving, but I can live with that, and have found it to be true.
Risa and I have tried to pass this love of reading on to our kids. We continue to read with the younger ones regularly, usually with a book that’s a bit too hard for them to read on their own, or which they might not have picked up. Sometimes it creates a spark, and that’s the best we can hope for.
I’ve often been asked how I read so much, and I don’t have a good answer. I rarely read more than 20-30 minutes a night, and that’s always after 11 pm. I often get a bit more time on Shabbat afternoon, but read the most on vacation. I do carry a book or sefer everywhere I go, and am pretty disciplined (i.e. desperate) about using every moment that’s free.
I’m going to do my best to continue writing about what I read at my Thinking Out Loud blog, time permitting. More than the writing, I’ve enjoyed this venue as an opportunity to talk with people in our community about what they are reading, and learn about new books, many of which I’ve shared here. Please continue to share!
And now – today’s book!
It should be no surprise that I read The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt, not just because we had a whole parent evening dedicated to talking about the challenges of cell phones and social media for our kids, but because I’ve been a fan of his research for many years.
As a reminder, he posits two basic hypotheses for why our children’s generation is so much more anxious. First is the rise in the use of smartphones and social media, which he extensively tracks through data from across the Western world (if you have any doubts, and don’t have time for the book, please take a look at his blog, After Babel). The second is the loss of the play-based childhood in favour of a de-risked childhood. For kids to become independent, to grow and thrive, they need independence, risk, and to test out the world around them. We’ve made the world so safe, and hidden our kids from failure so much, that they have become incapable of facing it.
My favourite chapter is the one based on his previous research, which links the challenges he describes to his understanding of the importance of spirituality and morality, and how the former is preventing a full development of the latter. What this means is that spiritual, socially oriented communities like ours have the best chance of helping our children thrive in today’s world.
For the sake of your children, please read this book.
Thank you again for the opportunity to share my thoughts above, assuming you’ve gotten this far!
Just Because I Liked It:
- I found this conversation with Kevin Spacey on the Lex Fridman Podcast fascinating, for three reasons. 1. He talked about the scandal that had him effectively kicked out of Hollywood. 2. He talks deeply and passionately about acting, in a way that only a master could. 3. He is the most exceptional mimic I’ve ever heard. Even better than Hersh Recht!
- Consider this clip a ‘pairing’ with the Haidt book. If you don’t read the book or his blog, at least watch the video!