Reading, podcasts and breadth—The New Era of Knowledge
Social media has been getting a bad reputation in the last few years. It’s easy to waste hours a day on Facebook and Instagram—just mindlessly scrolling. Besides wasting valuable time, mental health also takes a hit. Multiple studies have shown that time on social media has a direct correlation with mental health issues and depression—the depiction that is broadcast via social media can be hard to live up to, and is often not a nuanced representation of reality. Often what you see on social media is the life that people would like to live, and not the one they have—like a hyper idealised distortion of reality.
“But coffee talkers… we know this! What is it you want to tell us?”—you might think. Worry not, we are getting to that part right now.
Social media has done a lot to hurt us, but we think there is a positive angle to this—seen from a personal development perspective. A lot of people don’t like to read, or can’t find the time, and people who read a lot are often a bit pretentious about it. So there has been a fairly high barrier of entry when it comes to reading and broadening your foundation of knowledge. Here is where the positive flipside can be found.
Podcasts and audiobooks are changing this landscape. We think that the medium is irrelevant—as long as the knowledge gets inside your head. It doesn’t matter if it’s via your ears, eyes, or a combination thereof. If you like books but don’t have the time to read—or if you think that reading is hard, then audiobooks are great. This is also why we have started to include an audio version of our blog each week. We’re not quite yet at the point of Neo in “The Matrix” where we can download information into our brains (“I know Kung Fu!”)—but walking around and being able to soak up a bunch of great information at the same time is pretty close.
Podcasts have also changed this landscape. Longform conversations about different topics is a more natural way for us humans to receive information. Reading or listening to a single person for a long time takes practice and patience—but listening to a conversation is easier for many. An interesting aspect is that dialogue, with the intention of learning, is a way of collective thinking. The short-form format, that we’re used to from tv, has an antagonistic aspect to it. The interlocutors have five minutes to make their point—and the search for meaning goes out the window—getting replaced with rhetoric and strawmen. This is where the podcast format is different—it takes its time, and the conversations can be very informative and inspirational.
The Coffee Talkers’ Guide to Podcasts
We thought we’d share with you some of our favorite podcasts, divided generally by interest:
General Interest
Joe Rogan Experience (Matthew Walker, Wim Hof are a great place to start with guests) Whether you like Joe Rogan or not, you can’t argue that he spends a lot of time with his guests, really digging deep into a wide range of topics.
Health and Science
The Drive (Peter Attia, MD) Deep dives into science with the top doctors and scientists in their fields.
FoundMyFitness (Rhonda Patrick) Well-researched journeys into strategies to increase longevity and well-being
Philosophy
The Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday) Five to seven-minute daily meditations on Stoic values.
Making Sense (with Sam Harris) Explorations of the human mind and society
Meditation
Radio Headspace (Andy Puddicombe) Five to 10-minute meditations from a former Buddhist Monk to give you a spiritual tune-up for the day
Waking up (with Sam Harris again…) 10 to 20 minute meditations
We hope you fill your head wisely.
Until next time,
Scott and Lennart