{"id":30150,"date":"2023-01-13T21:14:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-14T05:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30150"},"modified":"2023-01-13T21:40:55","modified_gmt":"2023-01-14T05:40:55","slug":"a-challenge-to-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/a-challenge-to-change\/","title":{"rendered":"A Challenge to Change"},"content":{"rendered":"

A survey in 2018 showed that Indonesian reading interest was ranked 62nd in the world. [1]<\/a> Somehow, I was not too surprised by that survey. Honestly, I seem to be one of the people mentioned in that survey. I do not hate books, but hard for me to put reading books as my top priority, mainly academic books. Meanwhile, the internet provides everything that many people need in a fast and fascinating way. Information, pictures, photos, and videos from the internet play an essential role in forming a high barrier between myself and books.<\/p>\n

My undergraduate and postgraduate theology education brought me tons of book reading requirements (more than 80% in languages other than Indonesian), but under certain conditions, books are still a struggle in itself for me. Reading books (mainly academics) takes up a lot of energy and thoughts because sometimes we need extra effort to grasp the main ideas. Meanwhile, my preaching hours as a pastor shape me to prefer talking rather than being silent to read books. I don’t know if this is laziness or arrogance.<\/p>\n

However, my encounter with Adler has helped me to criticize and rethink what I have always understood and done. Adler jostled me from the start of his writing, which reminded me of who I am. Yes, I am someone who has substantial curiosity. Adler reminded me that curious people could be satisfied by reading books. [2]<\/a><\/p>\n

Another precious lesson from Adler is humility. Through reading, the reader could have the attitude of humility to admit that the author’s knowledge is much more than the reader’s. There is a gap between readers and authors. [3]<\/a> The reader is in a position that knows no more than the author. Here Adler’s thoughts break through the wall of my pride to seem to know everything. Adler’s ideas reminded me that by reading, I was at a disadvantage. At the same time, I feel reminded and motivated to increase my knowledge and understand new things offered by the authors whose books I read.<\/p>\n

Some say experience is the best teacher. But I propose that books are the best teacher as well. Adler reminded me that having encounters and experiences with good books would further enhance my reading skills. Adler shows one of his tricks in this book. For example, classifying what kinds of books we read is an essential strategy for understanding a book. Adler taught that readers need to read headings, sub-headings, and introductions. [4]<\/a> Reading books, according to Adler, makes a person a wiser person because books bring a person to realize the great and eternal truths of human life. [5]<\/a> Adler’s idea opened my mind. I realized that I needed books. Therefore, I need to build a deeper relationship with books.<\/p>\n

The advantage of reading books is improving skills and making someone wiser, even though a reader does not always have to agree with the author’s ideas. Reading inspirational books will result in enlightenment for the soul. A reader will be motivated to read, analyze and understand a book by building critical thinking on what he reads. Critical thinking helps a reader think openly, have a systematic and logical perspective, have effective communication in finding solutions, and not rush into developing arguments. [6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Reading books is a crucial need for many people, including me. When we get used to doing it, we will manage it well and effectively. [7]<\/a> Now I am challenged to prove what I wrote here. Therefore what I need is discipline. Before I change other people, I challenge myself to change first.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a>https:\/\/countryeconomy.com\/demography\/literacy-rate\/indonesia<\/a>. Accessed January 11, 2023.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Adler, Mortimer J. and Van Doren, Charles. 1972.\u00a0How to Read a Book<\/em>:\u00a0The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading<\/em>. Rev. ed. (New York: Simon & Schuster), 3.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Adler, 10.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Adler, 60.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Adler, 340-341<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Richard Paul and Linda Elder,\u00a0The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools<\/em>\u00a0(London, UK: Rowan & Littlefield, 2020), 9.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> S\u00f6nke Ahrens,\u00a0How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking<\/em>, 2nd edition, revised and expanded edition (Hamburg, Germany: S\u00f6nke Ahrens, 2022), 117.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A survey in 2018 showed that Indonesian reading interest was ranked 62nd in the world. [1] Somehow, I was not too surprised by that survey. Honestly, I seem to be one of the people mentioned in that survey. I do not hate books, but hard for me to put reading books as my top priority, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2489,660,2326,2514],"class_list":["post-30150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-adler","tag-ahrens","tag-paulelder","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30150"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30153,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30150\/revisions\/30153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}