Heroes Not Zombies

Montaigne had a library of over 1000 books. His preferred reading included history, biographies and ancient Hellenistic philosophers. He always claimed a relaxed an easy approach to reading. His father taught him that “everything should be approached in gentleness and freedom, without rigour and constraint”. He would browse books casually, only reading what really interested him or brought him pleasure.

He claimed “Forget much of what you learn” and “Be slow witted” were his core principles, which, at first glance, seems somewhat odd. However, what he actually did with these principles was to apply what Buddhists would call “Beginners Mind”, an approach which is humble, open minded and doesn’t cling to whatever we encounter.

Combine this with his paying attention to the present moment and you can see why people who adhere to the modern “Slow Movement” find a soul mate in Montaigne.

This approach to reading is very right hemisphere. Our left hemisphere grasps and clings to whatever it encounters. It is, what Iain McGilchrist terms as “sticky”. It doesn’t want to let go. The right, on the other hand, is open to what’s new, what’s particular and what’s personal.

I don’t think Montaigne really forgot as much as he claimed he did. After all he was brilliant at weaving the teachings of the ancients into his essays, and he managed to recall details of past experiences with great clarity. Still, it’s an important principle. You could say it’s another Buddhist principle – non-attachment. Honestly, I can’t tell you just how many notebooks I have filled with passages I’ve read. I’m also a bit of a highlighter or underliner of certain texts, which is another way of finding the phrases I really liked.

I’m not slow witted but I do like to take my time to reflect and I have always realised how limited my knowledge is. There is always, but always, more to learn about everything.