On the art of reading
For me, there are three different ways of reading. Depending on what I'm reading, I choose the appropriate type of reading. Today, I'm going to talk to you about one of them: attentive reading.
- speed reading. It's appropriate for long technical documents where you only need to retain the essentials. Certainly not for novels! Woody Allen famously said: “I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia” (heh).
- Attentive reading: reading carefully. Weighing up each word while remaining conscious of the fact that you're reading. Appropriate for texts of a philosophical or theological nature, for example.
- Immersive reading: I'm talking about good novels and being immersed in them. You're not even aware that you're reading, you're in it.
Let's talk about attentive reading in more detail. To illustrate what I'm talking about, I've chosen a quote from the manga Hunter x Hunter, by Yoshiro Togashi. Background: the manga's main hero is on a quest to find his father. It's the main goal of his life. At one point, the hero receives a message from his father. Here's the quote:
You should enjoy the little detours to the fullest. Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want.
For this quote, the most appropriate way to read it is to use attentive (careful) reading. Indeed, the Hunter x Hunter manga is considered by all its readers to be a masterpiece, and it's safe to say that Togashi knows what he says.
So let's reread this quote carefully.
You should enjoy (...) to the fullest: it's not an obligation, but in my opinion you should take it in (to savour the feeling it brings) of...
the little detours: a detour is a route that deviates from the direct path. Of course, it's a temporary deviation, and there comes a time when you have to go back in the direction of your initial destination. If we now take into account the context of the quote recalled above, we understand that the final destination in question, the one where we arrive (or not) after having taken detours is the ultimate goal, the goal of life. Some people have such a goal in life. Others wonder. Some others never think about it. The detours in question must remain “small” so as not to lose sight of the initial objective.
Because that's where you'll find the things more important than what you want: I'll get back to it later (sorry).
Now there comes a time when attentive reading is no longer enough. You need to experience it. My theory is that Togashi intended to reserve the meaning of his sentences for the readers who experienced it, in the same way that numbers stations work. These are supposed to be used by foreign intelligence agencies. If this is the case, their message is coded and intended to be understood only by certain listeners. Here's an example:
Let's take a little detour, shall we? If you're stumbling across this website for the first time from God knows where and don't know where to start, my advice is: start with this! You can trust me on that. And if we take a detour within the detour: for me, reading a beloved author is like talking to an old friend (Léon Bloy, if you're reading me from where you are: salut l'ami !).
I've been wondering about the meaning of this quote for a while now. But last night, on my way home from a walk, I took a little detour. I found, in Togashi's words, something more important than what I wanted (i.e. to go home).
Don't be afraid to take the occasional (small) detour.
photo: Light (John Storm)
