Extinction – ElPropósito5 min de lectura

The competitive edge of readers

This week two people who matter a great deal to me told me, separately, practically the same thing: "People read less and less." Both are highly cultured, very well educated, and every time I meet with them I come away having learned something. That coincidence was my cue to write this post about reading, something I once described as the true habit of the leader, or the leader’s forgotten habit. A leader can have many qualities, but one sets him apart from the rest: the ability to step away for at least a few minutes a day to cultivate himself with a good book. Why do I call this a competitive advantage? Very simple. We live surrounded by information overload. We hold access to the entire world in the palm of our hand, which almost fulfills that line from Scarface with Al Pacino, "the world is yours." Yet all that information pulls us further and further from the world as it really is.

Today it is almost impossible to discuss any subject, given how superficially knowledge is acquired, especially through social media. On top of that, getting to the primary source of much of the information out there is a titanic task. We have lost the effort to test hypotheses, and people pass judgment as if from a position of deep knowledge. Even on subjects that are complex by their very structure, we have fallen into oversimplified arguments that pull us deeper and deeper into a spiral of ignorance. Surreal as it may sound, information overload is leading us down the road of ignorance at dizzying speed, and that is exactly what makes me realize that those who read have a competitive and comparative advantage over everyone else. Did this happen 2,000 years ago? I am sure it did. As I grow more passionate about philosophy, I see these are old issues. Humanity has always lived through situations like this, and reading is where we find the best tool to stand out as people and as professionals.

The reader is an odd bird in organizations today and an outcast in politics. The reader, the person who keeps cultivating himself, is a truly endangered species, and that should set off alarms worldwide. Why? Because a reader’s formation makes him unbreakable in the face of the ignorant world around him. On a cognitive level, the effect of scrolling through social media is clear: the dopamine it generates is in another league compared with reading a good book. The big difference is short-term versus long-term effect. It would be no exaggeration to say a good book can mark us for the rest of our lives, while a week of social media will not. I should say I am hardly one to talk about social media, because I admit I have used it and still do. In fact, this post will in some way compete for your attention with whatever the rest of the universe posts on its feeds. Still, ever since I decided to name my blog ElPropósito, it has carried a bit of the old school at heart: reading, and then having something inspiring to read on a Sunday. If I achieve one or the other, I am satisfied, and if not, I am sure that at some point in the time we have left in the universe, someone will read it.

Harry S. Truman’s line "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers" is one of my favorites. That is why the forgotten habit of this century is reading. It is something we absolutely must take up again. It is the door to true culture and the door to one of the most fruitful paths we can follow. I remember that when I graduated, many job postings said the applicant "must be able to make decisions with limited information," in other words, connect the dots. Today that line has become "must be able to make decisions amid information overload." The immediate question is: "How do I make decisions when I am immersed in an environment overflowing with information?" The answer may be simpler than it seems. Ever since we invented the scientific method, observable evidence and our ability to accept or reject hypotheses have let us generate a vast amount of knowledge so we can live, and live better. The key is getting to the essence of knowledge, and for that we have to read.

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

P.S. 1. I dedicate this post to my son Gabriel, who turned four this week. May God grant me a whole lifetime to keep reading bedtime stories with my children. I love you, my beautiful prince.

• P.S. 2. This week’s VELA:
• What I was watching: "8M: la farsa feminista se cae!" Agustín Laje is an opinion leader I admire. He is a clear example of someone who reads, and debating or even talking with him requires a solid grasp of many subjects
  – What I was listening to: "El impacto de una vida saludable en tus finanzas" (how a healthy life affects your finances). I found Moris Dieck’s podcast through my great friend Andrés. This episode, like all the others, is well worth it, with very good lessons and keys on physical and financial well-being
  – What I was reading: San Josemaría Escrivá. A short book with powerful messages about Opus Dei, its work around the world and the great legacy Saint Josemaría left. Reading another of his books, I found a line that marked me for life: "Never be afraid of the truth, even if it brings you death"
  – What I was learning: The Enemies of Commerce. This is unfinished business for me, especially reading these books, which I can’t wait to receive

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

Linkedin