“To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”

—Edmund Burke, 18th Century Irish Statesman

 

Image of a man following text with a pen in hand

Image from Flickr by Sebastien Wiertz

Think back to your biology or life science classes in high school. How much do you recall about the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, or in the case of today’s quote, the digestive system?

The journey a single bite of food takes from our mouth, into and through the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and colon takes somewhere between 18 and 24 hours.

What do you think would happen if the length of digestion time were cut in half, and food was processed in 9 to 12 hours instead? What percent of the vital nutrients would be available to nourish our bodies?

Consider speed reading, executive book summaries, the classic CliffNotes or Monarch notes – and even Twitter – as ways we short-cut the learning process. What valuable nuggets of wisdom are being missed or lost through the use of short-cuts?

EXERCISE:

Where specifically would greater reflection on the materials you are currently reading make the biggest difference?

Consider re-reading one of your most highly prized and valuable books from your past. Read it slowly, with the intent of digesting and teaching the most important lessons to a class composed of people you know would benefit the most.

Please let me know which book you would re-read, and what you discovered in the process.