How to Balance Reading And Life - and Why We Must Cultivate Our Garden 

I don’t want to balance reading and life, I just want to exist in reading vacuum! Can’t wait to watch this one though :)

I completely agree. One of the best ways to challenge your ideas is to live life. I've learned as much in 3 months of working and volunteering as I have in 1 year in uni. There is much to be learned from simply living your life, talking to others, and observing the world around you. How can you ever know if you're right in your views when you never challenge your ideas by analysing reality?

Alice went down the rabbit hole and didn't know how to get out, but she had a splendid time and it was worthwhile for her!

As a French-canadian from Québec, I must say I am incredibly impressed and glad that you are making so much effort to read French literature... in French ! It's refreshing to see anglophones enjoying and learning French. Like you said in this video, it improves your reading experience when you read a book in the original language. The way it was meant to be read by the author. When I read English or American writers, philosophers or scientists (or any mainly English speaking creator), I always try to read in English to get the full experience, message and feel of the book or article. It's like a duty to read as much as I can in the original language. Anyway, great thoughts and reflexions as always ! Thank you for putting the spotlight on Voltaire's ideas !

“Are you using the humanities to make yourself better, or are you using the humanities as a form of escapism?” Both, thank you very much.

I’m glad that I’ve come across this channel! Everything you had to say really made me think about how I struggle with this balance. I was recently diagnosed with a mild developmental delay. Considering I made it through all of my schooling so far without raising major red flags shows that it’s nothing severe, but also I have gotten really good at what they call “masking”. I knew deep down that I was struggling much more than the average person in all fronts of life, and somehow I put not so great strategies in place in order to make it seem like I’m keeping up. A great example of this was with reading. I would skim books and articles and be able to gather the main idea and recite it, which then appeared that I had an understanding. But I absolutely struggled with expanding on points or apply what was read to my own thoughts and experiences. It was all to much for me because I was barely understanding what the author was saying. My attention for the details (or reading in general) was trash. But I was able to answer questions on the test, which meant I got good grades, which meant that no one thought anything was wrong. I lived my life regurgitating information and then relying on very specific step by step instructions for tasks. If anything was vague, I would struggle greatly or avoid it entirely. I guess the garden that I refused to cultivate was myself. Channels like yours are very interesting to me because I truly did not understand the importance of reading literature until I began seeing professional help and getting the diagnosis and treatments I needed for years. In fact, I still find myself thinking “is this going to be too smart for me to understand?”. But just like what I teach to my students, reading is pointless of you don’t take ideas from it and see how it applies to real life situations. And even then, ideas can then change based on outcomes. I had no balance of literature and reality because I totally ignored. I did not know how to navigate through anything in a way that is beneficial to me. I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos and learning! 😄

WOW, I really like the RU-vid recommendations for this wonderful channel!

Hey! I admire you as a youtuber because you provide quality content, but what I really like about this channel is the exchange of conversations in the comment section. It's an awesome community we have here!

Excellent video ! This 'sticking to an Idea' and not thinking about the reality when it disturbs you and looking for an escapism is what makes many people insensitive I think. Sensitivity is very much needed these days to be creative and solve the problems of the world.

I love the idea of cultivating your garden but especially I am inspired by your reflection of not clinging to any particular idea. I believe they can be sort of guidelines for us but not something that must dictate our behavior for life. We always change and shifting ideas and perceptions is okay too. Cheers!

Another French writer highlighted this kind of problem that efficient readers face. This writer is Flaubert who, in Madame Bovary, described beautifully the impact that literature can have on the life of the individuel who is disconnected from reality and see everything through the screen of art and novels. The girl committed suicide in the end but she inherited the French literature a concept called "Le Bovarisme".

Living by the timeless messages of great works of art....what a concept!

This reminds me of a thought I had the other day that's linked to this concept of the separation between ideas and reality/action. I was thinking about how when we say to someone "you seems so wise" it's usually because they've said something insightful, but just because someone said something insightful that doesn't mean they live according to it. Maybe someone who says 1000 insightful things but doesn't live by them isn't as wise as someone who says 1 insightful thing and genuinely lives by it.

Your point about the broom - I see great parallels with thoughts Emerson had about one's relationship with life & philosophy.

I'm feeling called out, buddy. You're the best.

Great stuff Robin. l fondly remember being taught to mop the floor at Macdonald's as a kid. and this idea of not letting abstraction take precedence over the miracles of life is easily forgotten while we try to organise our perspectives on things. thanks!

Hi Robin. I found your channel last night and I'm so glad that i came across your channel. It's like you have solutions for all my academic related problems. Thankyou for all the videos. I also joined your skillshare class about diary writing and storytelling and i can't thank you enough for making that course. I always wanted to make my journal like a TV series with episodes names characters and stuff that feels more interesting when i read it again. Your course is perfect. And also if you have time, could you please make a video on how to read newspaper editorials and Op-eds and how to make notes out of it? Thankyou in advance.

Absolutely love the episode. Probably my favorite so far and definitely the one I needed at this very moment. Since our library (my preferred place of reading) is closed on weekends, I'll take this as the perfect reminder to spend the day cleaning my room. Maybe the kitchen too.

I love this. The balance of reading and life is crucial to maintain a balanced life.

Loved this approach to intelectual life. Ideas and reality often function in different terms and rythms.

I just saw your rogue academic video and now watching this. It's so great someone puts importance on intuition and "being" interdisciplinary kind of ideology in a world where the few people who value education and the fun of learning are very simply termed nerds and disregarded. I have a question I have been thinking about a lot lately, being someone who always has something to add to the conversation and somebody who does see both sides of everything, how do you stop people were assuming that you are a know-it-all? I understand it is all for my mental enrichment, but still I feel like in some way my relations are being affected. I am sorry if my text is vague, and thanks for all your great videos and sharing your ideas.

Plz never stop making vedios like this

I enjoy your videos so much. You are a breath of fresh air!

this video just came in the best time possible for. thank you very much R. C. Waldun

Very important message! Thanks a lot for sharing.

Another great video! Thanks for sharing! Cheers from Brazil!

Thank you so much for this video! It was something I needed ☺️

Fantastic analysis, as ever. Ivory Tower philosophy versus philosophy as a tool for pragmatism (small 'p' definitely, & I don't know enough to know if large 'P' would also apply).

God! When this book represents all forms of suffering for you… We were forced to analyse this book during high school, in worst ways possible. Plus we had final exams in only scientific subjects that same year… When I previously read it by myself I simply loved it, though I only saw the morbid and dark side of it, I started it as a pessimistic person, remained theoretically pessimistic, but I believe I act as a more realistic person, never leaning towards the optimism. Great take !

Beautiful!

love it when you post !

I never viewed reading as escapism, but as learning. If I can just learn enough, I can then deal with reality. I got into computer programming, because I couldn't get my brain to work and needed to figure out how to use computers to augment my intelligence. I need a robot to do the dishes and clean the house.

I had a deja Vu about your hand movement and now I realize it's because it's so similar to Leo's from actualized

Was hoping that you’ll be talking about books about gardening but eventually I took home a couple of lessons from you once again here. Though gardening is such a profound way to be grounded, especially when we tend to obsessed with ideas or escape reality to books. Even to tend a couple of pot plants could really grounded us and put us in a present moment. Oliver Sacks and May Sarton wrote a really beautiful and meditative piece of essays about gardening which I highly recommend.

Totally gonna stop watching the "Steve Jobs x Stanford" commencement speech and watch this instead. So much wisdom in such little time - thanks for a(nother) helpful video 🙏

The announcement system of a train XD Not gonna lie, this exact same thing happened to me aswell, cause I was reading my book

This is soooo relatable....

thank you Robin

I love you man ❤

great video essay! I am a new follower and I love the work I've seen of yours. This video in particular, you made excellent points however I cant help but incur if escaping (sometimes) into thoughts of ones own ideal world or a beloved novel actually does the opposite of harm and keeps us going? I'm speaking from personal experience when I say sometimes when life is to hard to bare a form of escapism/mental diversion is the only thing that keeps us from logging off from living.

I really like your books, essays and videos. Are you prooud of being a citizen of the British Empire?

You just addressed the root of all problems

how do you think, do we actually need escapism as a form of defence and restore of our minds? Or escapism is a part of infantilism and to grow up we must defeat it and never go to it again? Can be escapism a part of a healthy and adult personality if you do not ignore the surviving questions as budgets, loans and bills? If you live in an illusion that you create with your ideas, could it be more pleasureful to live in this deeper version of reality? How do you feel yourself when you were reading some deep philosophy and then you need to go working and pay the bills. Isn't the learning of culture, history and humanities a part of escapism that you need to fulfill your purpose of life?

I want to learn Mandarin R.C.

14:43 so girls trained early on to clean are excempt from intellectual snobbery? Oml girl magick 🦋

Can you define Intelligence do you mean your IQ there are different variations Intelligence I am starting to think that you might be thinking of skills or abilities?

Beginners Mind

What does being an armchair thinker mean

Funny being forced to listen to the RU-vid commercials while faced with tuning off commercial talking heads

His voice doesnt match his face

dude you're just a young Jordan Peterson