Learn to read again
This article was inspired by Mark Manson’s video Why Nobody Can Read Anymore. Manson is the NY bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and he’s also a youtuber.
In the past year or so, I’ve often come across videos complaining that we don’t enjoy reading as much as we used to, why we struggle to engage with long, complex texts when we used to be able to get through them. I’ve also seen videos where the creators show how to get back into the habit of reading in today’s stimulating times. It’s not that I don’t want to follow, but it seems that my body is resisting it. Many times, I open a book that I know is interesting, only to stare at it for three minutes, realizing that despite my eyes constantly scanning each letter, none of them enter my head. I read a passage over and over again, yet still have no idea what I am reading.
I’ve had that happen before, when I was too tired, my mind would go into rest mode and refuse to take in any more information. But at times like that, I didn’t want to read anything, I just wanted to lie down in the comfort of my bed, listen to music and fall asleep. The problem with my current state of reading was different: I WAS in the mood to read, yet I had a hard time committing to the words.
Mark Manson experiences something similar, too! His ability to concentrate has decreased, he reads the same sentences over and over again, and he finds it difficult to finish any book, given he used to complete difficult volumes without much trouble for his profession as a writer. He also has this problem around the same time as me, for about a year now. So I was curious, was there a reason behind our overlapping incidents?
He started with the usual reasons: the rise of short-form content, the endless drips of dopamine from our phones, the too many options, the way modern workload make us feel burnout… leaving us with little energy or interest in reading – something that requires intense focus on a single thing for a long period of time. To be honest, that was nothing new, everybody has been pointing fingers in that direction forever. I have also felt their negative impact on my concentration, so in the past year, I actively avoided such over-stimulating forms of entertainment. But still, my interest in books continues to decline.
That was when Manson mentioned Artificial Intelligence. He admitted using it almost daily for his work, and enjoyed it much more than reading the actual books and conducting the research himself. He brought up a good point by saying if a book was 300 pages long, only 50-60 pages were pure gold, the rest were just filler. I agreed with him, but the thing was, I never had problems with filler back then. Why did it bother me now?
I read somewhere (but I can’t remember who the author was) that writing a novel is like building a castle. The writer knows the readers care about those magnificent domes, the long, luxuriously carpeted corridors, and the fancy decorations, but that can’t be all the writer writes about. They have to lay every brick, set up walls to separate rooms, and install every pipe. These are not glorious tasks, but without them, the castle cannot exist.
Both Mark Manson and the author whose name I’ve very sorrily forgotten discussed the same topic: the wordiness of language. While it’s necessary, it isn’t particularly captivating. But even so, I often found myself drawn to the bricks and stones, and in there, I fostered a deep admiration for the hard work that goes into building the castles.
As you know, I can’t read books like that anymore. But what exactly went wrong? And what role does AI have in this?
AI started to become popular about two years ago. I was terrified at first, as it was so productive in producing quality written material in just a few minutes with a few prompts, while the same task would take me days of research and contemplation. But I quickly adapted to this very convenient and available tool. Before long, turning to AI to research and suggest ideas became my default reflex. My working speed has improved significantly, and jobs that previously required 2-3 people to brainstorm, discuss and work together for a certain period of time (usually many days, with many rounds of feedback and editing), I can now complete alone in a shorter time.
Of course, such a good thing is just an illusion. The initial impression is overwhelmingly bright but then, it gradually fades, and I slowly realize its limitations. Its proposals become increasingly similar, in many cases even missing the point. It only gives surface answers that others have already addressed, and often fails to provide important insights or directions like a skilled planner or designer can. However, even though I recognize its flaws, I still find it hard to break this habit. AI helps me get things done faster, so I can have more time to read, hang out with friends, or work on personal projects.
Once again, my ideal reason is very different from reality. I do have more time as I wish, but something else also happens. Since I rely on AI to come up with the ideas instead of putting in the time and effort myself, work doesn’t give me a sense of accomplishment like it used to. Day by day, it grows into a mental state, and I hardly know of satisfaction in life anymore!
I turn to books for help, as they have gotten me out of bad situations before. But our connection seems to be broken. All I can do is stare, feeling both angry and scared at how helpless I have become. Have I really lost the ability to read? I suddenly remember the passive human in Wall-E. They have legs that they never use, because… why? Everything is within reach in the self-moving smart chair. It even has an integrated screen for 24/7 entertainment.
One thing I appreciate about Mark Manson’s video is that he didn’t advise me to give up on using AI. I know I should and have already cut back. But it is hard to quit an addiction immediately, especially when the skills we once mastered are now atrophied. What to do, instead, is to practice the reading muscle again, with a reasonable goal (here, I’ll follow Manson’s advice, which is only 5 pages a day). Such a modest goal, but I hope that by practicing it long enough, my legs will be strong enough to carry me wherever I want to go, no longer limited to the pre-determined path of the smart chair.