“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” ~ Mark Twain
To learn is to know; to know is to be confident: to stand up for what’s right and to know that what you are standing for is right.
Reading is one of the most effective tools of acquiring knowledge and one which is vastly undervalued in our modern entertainment society.
According to a 2003 survey, one-third of high school graduates never read another book in their entire lives, and 42% of college graduates will never read another book after college.
We seem to live in an age where having an understanding of different viewpoints is seen almost as a negative, as if truth can only be obtained by ignoring or resisting an understanding of those with whom we are different.
On the contrary, hearing out a diverse range of viewpoints is the only way to truly know if yours has any merit.
I can’t think of a better way to fight tyranny, grow as people, or become more confident about (or perhaps even change) our beliefs than to encourage active reading. This really is the closest thing you could find to a foundation of human liberty short of a strong connection to God.
So, I created a book club. The Great Minds Book Club is the first to launch on Minds and perhaps the only serious endeavor on alt-tech. Each month or two we will read a new book, particularly one with social, political, or historic connotations and is intellectually challenging in some way. Our Minds group is set up to discuss anything that relates to the book or any other piece of literature we have taken interest in.
Books are chosen by the group (I get one vote just like everybody else). The first book we picked is 1984 by George Orwell, a classic with so many parallels between modern society/government. It’s going to be a good one!
The group will read this title from now through June and everyone is encouraged to discuss it ongoing for as long as they want and in any way they want.
If you would like to help me out a great deal, consider subscribing to me on Patreon. I will send you a new book each month (I’ll even try to send something on off months where the group doesn’t have anything scheduled) and a thank you message.
You have no idea how much it helps to have that kind of support. Everything I do has to be funded somehow and that is the most effective way of doing it so I can keep working on projects like this instead of spending time at my day job. Granted, you don’t have to pay anything to be part of the group. It’s just there in case you feel generous.
Happy Reading!
About the Author
Phillip Schneider is a staff writer for Waking Times and Blacklisted News. If you want to see more of his work, you can like his Facebook Page, follow him on the free speech social network Minds, or become a contributor via Patreon.
This article (Phillip Schneider Launches First Ever Alt-Tech Book Club) originally appeared at Phillip Schneider and may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author credit, and this copyright statement.