James Clear Quote on Learning and How Reading and Reflecting Hold the Keys To Knowledge

“Reading can teach you the best of what others already know. Reflection can teach you the best of what only you can know.”

James Clear

Beyond the Quote (318/365)

And if you’re not doing either, where is it that everything you know is coming from? From social media? From click-bait websites? From news conglomerates? Or maybe from friends and family members? But, where then are they getting their knowledge from? From those same sources? The question you have to ask yourself is, how does the quality of this information compare to the quality of the information that might be obtained from reading and reflecting? I suspect that it may not only be substantially below in quality, but of little to no quality at all. I suspect that it’s a no comparison.

It should come as no surprise that the main goal of social media, many big websites, and news conglomerates isn’t to share the best of what’s known. The main goal is to sort through all of what’s available to know and share, promote, and highlight what’s going to get the most attention and/or cause the biggest reaction. It’s less about quality and more about trigger. Less about depth and more about drama. Less about solution and more about conflict. What’s the famous news motto? “If it bleeds it leads.”

What’s important to point out, however, is that this is through no “evil” fault or strategy of their own—we were the ones who shaped them to be this way! They became as they are as a result of our preferences, viewership, and clicks. They simply adapted, modified, and rewrote the information of the world to appeal to our attention. They are, because of how we acted. And so long as we continue to act in a way that supports that type of storyline, why would they change? Their power comes from our attention. We simply have to be more aware and deliberate in how we give it out.

So, back to the knowledge of the world. The most powerful knowledge in the world is not the knowledge that is pumped into our eyes from the above mentioned media sources—that information is attention grabbing. No. The best knowledge in the world isn’t that. The best knowledge in the world is quiet. It’s focusing and thought provoking. It’s attention guiding. It’s well thought out; time-tested; peer reviewed; and based on deep and personal insights. It’s found within the silent pages of books. From the minds of those past and present who can no longer yell or grab, but who can only quietly influence from what was preserved in the pages they left behind.

And here’s the thing about the seeds in our mind: they, too, grow with no sound. Quietly they sprout. Slowly they strengthen. Without so much as a peep they expand. Trees fall, on the other hand, with huge noise. They’re loud; disruptive; distracting; and attention grabbing. And so long as we continue to look, gather around, and gossip about the fallen trees, then that is what we will continue to see. And the less time we will have to nurture our next generation of seeds as a result. And it’s precisely because quality information is so quiet that it so oftentimes gets overlooked and ignored. How could it not when you have the loud, obnoxious information spewing out at you from all other directions? You have to take control.

Quality is as quality does. This is not to say that we shouldn’t mourn, acknowledge, or gather around the trees that have fallen. It is simply a reminder that we can’t spend all of our time doing that. We must prioritize our time and focus our energy into reading and reflecting. Because where better to find the knowledge for growth than within the covers of books? And how better to solidify in our minds what we read than through reflection? Quietly we must read. Slowly, we must walk our eyes down the lines of a page. And patiently, we must let the information sit to allow it time to unite with what we already know.

It takes time for the newly found information to make its way into the mind. Just as it takes time for the rain to make its way up the roots and into the plant. It doesn’t happen instantaneously. It needs time to settle. It needs time to meander its way through the soil to find its way to the roots. And, given enough time, our thoughts, dreams, ideas, and insights will strengthen and grow as would that young plant. One rain drop at a time. One book line at a time. One moment of patience at a time. So long as those distractions stay blocked from view more of the time. All of the time? Most of the time. On your time. …Should you choose to make it.

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