𝗦𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘

 

𝗦𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘

[ Disclaimer: Please note, the aforementioned quote is not directed to anyone in particular, however it is appropriate for the what is to follow ] Mortimer Adler was once asked in an interview about his advice to read "difficult books". His response was that - books are similar to weights, if we want to exercise the body we must apply resistance and strain against the muscles, this will be painful at the beginning and very discomforting - however, in the long term it shall only strengthen the physical frame and enable us to graduate onto heavier lifting. The brain, is a muscle. Many of us are stuck at primary reading level despite having grown physically and aged. If all you ever read, listen to or explore are ideas that do not make you feel uncomfortable, you are not growing intellectually, and that is why we have the term "narrow mindedness". Broaden your mind and elevate your intellectual reach. It will certainly be uncomfortable at the beginning, but like the weight to the muscle, it will strengthen your mind in the long term. The objective of what we do here and across the various platforms under the Historyun umbrella, is to keep you uncomfortable and to apply pressure where it is appropriate and needed. This is the only way to truly awaken the critical senses and encourage our audience to transcend the basic and uninspiring method of taking in information at a superficial level. What makes for a great form of intellectual nourishment and growth is to read books that challenge our own sense of reality, if everything we read only reinforces our pre-existing beliefs and perceptions of the world - no improvement is made. Imam as-Shaafi said it best (in his Diwan) "Go! Depart from home and become a stranger once again! The cultivated and intellectual minded does not find repose in the familiar. Travel (physically and intellectually) and you shall discover replacements for everything that you have left behind" We now live in a world where "sophisticated ignorance" is upheld as a virtue to be championed and passed onto others as an inviolable tenet, never to be challenged. What value is there in choosing to remain within the dimly lit cave when there are broad and bright horizons out there? New ideas only strengthen our existing principles and beliefs, making us more versatile and rigorous in our ability to think objectively. Do not be like the moth who refuses to break out of it's shell for fear of the unknown. Read difficult books, broaden your horizons and remain inquisitive. Find your wings 🦋 Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah is a perfect exercise for this. Hope you will stick through to the very end and demonstrate the resilience and curiosity required to truly benefit from this fabulous book. Remain curious and keep reading.