Reading Books vs. Consuming Content
I'm more concerned about people reading the books they have than the ones being burned.
Contrast the above quote by our 33rd President of the United States with a statement by Entrepreneur and Internet expert Gary Vee. He said the following in a LinkedIn post, "I don't read books, but I read your comments at scale - it's a big part of how I get the information and understanding to create new pieces of content."
Notice Gary said the magic word, "content." Today, people believe that "Content is King." And the quicker you consume and produce said content, the smarter and "richer" you'll be. Here's the challenge – so much content is pushed out that its veracity often goes unchallenged. What's worse is that some of that same content is accepted as fact and reposted by others.
Recently, while attending the Professional Speechwriter's Conference in Washington, DC., Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters, commented the importance and resurgence of actual books when it comes to fleshing out ideas that are well-researched and thought through. In the age of misinformation, speed, and truth don't always go hand in hand.
Books are important. And reading books is the gateway to knowledge, power, and influence. Don't take my word for it. Look at what others have said:
"I cannot live without books, but fewer will suffice where amusement, and not use, is the only future object." - Thomas Jefferson
"I just sit in my office and read all day." Warren Buffett
"Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance." Lyndon B. Johnson
"A room without books is like a body without a soul." Cicero
"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." Oscar Wilde
That's just a sampling. I know the popular argument against books is, "Things are changing fast. By the time a book hits the shelves, some of the ideas are outdated." That's true. Some of them are. But I don't care about the time-bound ideas; I care about the timeless ones. And those are the ones that shape history, that make a difference.
Books still matter and reading matters even more. In this case, I’ll heed what Harry said over what Gary said.