The Quiet Rebellion of Reading

It’s too easy to convince ourselves that podcasts, YouTube videos, and similar forms of media are sufficiently educational. Nothing, however, quite compares to the richness of reading.

Audio and video move forward with or without you. Words await, ready for our brains to marinate in them.

That patience benefits everyone — reader and writer alike.

A reader doesn’t wait for buffering, can read offline, translate into another language, and read in peace anywhere in the world.

A writer doesn’t need a fancy camera, a microphone, or a camera-friendly face. They can take their time, preferring depth over breadth, and sacrifice nothing for production value.

Streaming media is in endless supply—a constant temptation. It’s rare we gorge ourselves on reading about psychology, economics, or history, akin to steak and broccoli. Instead, MrBeast, TikToks, and mindless entertainment are the junk food buffet we appear addicted to.

One must mindfully read a book; rarely do we mindfully scroll our phones. It’s something we reach for the same way we reach for a cigarette: a moment of boredom, awkwardness, or a distraction from life is all we need to reach for them.

I don’t denounce these forms entirely. What is life without the odd ice cream or piece of chocolate? However, it’s evident our culture struggles to discuss where the boundaries should lie, let alone set them.

There’s something romantic about reading: it requires letting words lead our imagination, from which we can respond. Passive media often leads us merely to react.

In a world that encourages distraction, conformity and groupthink, reading is an act of quiet rebellion.