Why you should read something old + something new I’m excited about

Something old

We were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like rows of upper and lower teeth. So to work in opposition of one another is against nature: and anger or rejection is opposition

Marcus Aurelius “Meditations” Book Two

There is a certain selection bias in old works; they have survived and made their way to you through space and time because others have found it useful – not because it was directly marketed to you. Reading something old gives you perspective as you come to read about deeply human problems thinkers have been grappling with for centuries.

Or, as Naval has said, all the old questions have old answers.

Want to know what people may remember you by? Read the opening of Marcus Aurelies’ Meditations.

Want to understand the fundamentals of personal finance? Read The Richest Man In Babylon.

Want to understand how to behave in western culture? Read The Sermon on The Mount.

I recommend rotating into your reading curriculum something old or a modern text documenting historical events. The perspective this can bring is invaluable. I’m reading through Meditations for the third time now and find something that speaks to me on just about every other page.


Something new!

My podcasting time has been drastically reduced without a commute, but luckily I’m able to still work it into my schedule while meal prepping. I came across Tim Ferriss’ interview with Andrew Huberman last week and have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole since. I’ve gone through about 10 hours of audio with Andrew and can say this guy brings something different to the table. He is a professor of neuroscience at Stanford; and brings practical science to his listeners. New questions (like how brain chemisty works) have new answers 🙂

I hope you enjoy both something new and old soon.

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