Hey Doc, when was the last time you deep read a “deep” book?
By deep reading I mean focused, consistent reading, pen and paper in hand, spanning several hours a day over several weeks.
By a deep book, I mean a book that is just out of your grasp intellectually, books that don’t just have the potential to change you, but have changed people like Jefferson and Adams.
Examples of these books: Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Ethics, Hobbes’s Leviathan and Descartes Discourses on Method.
These are the types of books that can change a person’s outlook on the world, their actions, and their character.
I suspect for most of us – most physicians – it has been years.
What a waste!
We spend our time reading medical journals, reading blog posts online, gazing at our iPhones, reading the occasional light novel, political tell-all book, or recent Malcolm Gladwell release.
“The Tipping Point” anyone?
These are fine, for what they are – a light cognitive distraction, but they are unlikely to make you reach deeply into your being and wrestle with your life’s meaning or purpose. They are unlike to challenge your self or your soul (or, for that matter, seriously discuss your soul).
That’s a shame, because we physicians are some of the most battled tested, practical ethicists in our society.
We daily see some of the best and worst humanity has to offer, and with this experience at our fingertips, if combined with the knowledge contained in the greatest writings in human history, we are in a position to weigh in heavily on some of the current and future challenges our world is facing, both inside and outside of healthcare.
So take the time to deep read deep books, not just for yourself, but for others.