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For me the following quote from Paul Graham's essay has struck a chord: For example, reading and experience are usually "compiled" at the time they happen, usin
by shock 9y ago
For me the following quote from Paul Graham's essay has struck a chord: For example, reading and experience are usually "compiled" at the time they happen, using the state of your brain at that time. The same book would get compiled differently at different points in your life.
It's changed how I read books. I used to feel that if I needed to re-read a book I did something wrong the first time – now I read a book again after some time just to get a different perspective of the book. It's the same thing that happens the second time you watch a movie: you notice details that you missed the first time around.
- jakubp 9y agoI also noticed this with books. My impression is that the same book can be called "great" by one person and "boring" or "uninteresting" by another, and it says really more about those people in relation to the book at that point in their lives, than about the book itself. It can show you what developmental stage these people are in. For some, reading a simple book on emotions will be a game changer, while for others it will be stating the obvious and they won't even read more than a chapter or two, deciding that the book was too basic or even "bad". I've developed a habit of buying and beginning a lot of books, but many I discard or set aside for the future. Few books seem "too basic" for me, with many I sense that their time is yet to come, or their utility at this point in my life is unclear. BTW I have the same experience with movies; some of them have a great number of really interesting detail that I often miss the first time around.