ANOTHER WAY TO READ
Most of us read volumes of words weekly, if not
daily. And for the most part our reading
serves a good purpose. It keeps us informed
and helps us run our lives. However,
there's a special way of reading we may not often do that is contemplative. When we read this way, we rapidly expand and
grow.
When we read contemplatively, we don't just read
the material; we engage it fully and at our deepest level. We read more deliberately and review material
as many times as we may need to; we pause to more clearly visualize the
material and to relate it to our experience; we ponder not just what was
said, but also what wasn't said; we sense and
examine our own reactions as well as an author's motives and intentions. Further, we explore the many directions of
thought that may arise from all these deliberations.
A contemplative reading approach allows us not
only to absorb information more thoroughly, it also expands our capacity to
perceive and think -- we have a high-impact-reading-experience that transforms
as well as informs us.
With this approach, what matters is not how
much we read or how fast we read, but how much we expand through
reading.
Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.
SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A
FRIEND.
