there is this guy on threads who only posts flowcharts and diagrams that summarise the key points of books (bookishforge) and I'm obsessed. as a visual learner, and a lover of books, this gives me enough of a taster to decide whether it's worth reading the whole book or not. probably not good for fiction books because spoilers but an absolute treat for non fiction.
reading is a habit of building and developing your empathy and critical thinking skills. youβre forced to sit with an idea for however long you are reading it and forced to contextualise it and comprehend it within your own life and perspective. You canβt just scroll away or pause or put it on 2x speed. you have to sit with it. itβs super underrated, but genuinely Iβve made this a habit for the last year and feel like a totally different person. also you come out of it having learned something new or seeing the world in a slightly new way. I literally do not see any downsides to reading. make reading cool again! also you donβt have to do it in one big block, you can space it out β 15 mins here, 45 there β whatever works for you!
i don't think anyone ever intends to become a recreational ornithologist. but i've noticed that it definitely creeps up on you slowly in your mid-twenties. it starts with noticing how funny pigeons are, then learning pigeon lore, and suddenly you're feeding your neighbourhood birds every morning and buying books on birds. as a child i idolised the pigeon lady in home alone 2, and i woke up this morning and realised β i AM the pigeon lady π¦
our cultural obsession with being perceived as cool is a disease. its peak capitalistic/consumerist propaganda. fuck being cool. like what you like and who cares if it's cool or not. it's tiresome and we need to leave it in 2024. literally nothing gives me the ick more than people who betray themselves in an attempt to be perceived as cool by the masses. be yourself β even if it means you're 'uncool'.