Books!

In college I was frustrated by the fact that my wisest teachers would say very little about the books we were reading. I understood that their reticence to make authoritative pronouncements was a teaching strategy, and that it was a form of humility. Still, I felt like they were holding out on me, so I would get angry. There was a little envy mixed in there too, because it was exhausting having a thousand thoughts bouncing around in my head about every book. As I have gotten some distance from school and the performance anxiety that go along with it, I have grown in appreciation of the ability to take a quiet stand on the one or two ideas that matter most to you in a book. It may look from the outside like you are being lazy, but from what little I know of it, getting to this place of repose is painful inner work. Being honest about your limitations shouldn't be painful, but it is.