Infoholics Anonymous
In our current Age of Abundance, there’s almost nothing easier than gorging on content. The digital universe offers an effectively endless number of options: Millions of books, thousands of podcasts, hundreds of newsletters. And that’s not even counting the bottomless pit of video streaming, social media, and artificial intelligence that purport to captivate and educate the modern (wo)man.
But the hyper-curious have to be reminded that absorbing more content does not necessarily lead to more understanding (data ≠ information). This is demonstrably true when it comes to investing, but also applies to other fields like politics, history, and even medicine. There’s a tendency — especially amongst the intellectual bourgeoisie — to mistake consumption for comprehension, when in fact the correlation is quite low, and sometimes negative.
In a post-scarcity world, “discovery is the original sin” and the road to deliverance is paved with Curation & Contemplation. One becomes enlightened (i.e., an independent, deep thinker) by consuming only the best content then expending time and energy to process what was read/heard/watched. For information addicts in the 21st century, where quality has a quantity all its own, less is more.
If you'd like to get a quick start on some C&C, below is a list of the ten most reflection-worthy books I read in 2023 (yes, books; not newsletters or blogs or TikToks). Peruse them, pick one out, and let me know what you learned, why it was impactful, or how it changed your thinking:
A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney
Titan by Ron Chernow
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Number Go Up by Zeke Faux
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant
The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Those Bastards by Jared Dillian
Devin Faddoul, CFP® is the founder of Adda Financial | Outsource your financial life. Focus on your real life.