[HN Gopher] What Monks Know about Focus
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       What Monks Know about Focus
        
       Author : ingve
       Score  : 75 points
       Date   : 2024-03-09 18:02 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.millersbookreview.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.millersbookreview.com)
        
       | mewpmewp2 wrote:
       | The suggestion is to escape from toxic thoughts, immersing
       | yourself in prayers instead?
        
         | duncan-donuts wrote:
         | > It's not about the wisdom we glean. It's about what wisdom we
         | grow.
         | 
         | I think the author does a good job of actually testing the
         | original point--questioning if all but a handful of books are a
         | worthless distraction. I think the entire piece has almost
         | nothing to do with prayer. The monks are used as a thought
         | experiment around the value of thought for the sake of thought.
        
       | doc56 wrote:
       | A superb writeup. Thanks for posting. Reminded me of Herbert
       | Simon saying Learning required "Drill and Kill". And how our
       | education systems were tending more towards entertainment by
       | undervaluing rote or practice.
       | 
       | Had to dig up the quote - "The criticism of practice (called
       | "drill and kill," as if this phrase constituted empirical
       | evaluation) is prominent in constructivist writings. Nothing
       | flies more in the face of the last 20 years of research than the
       | assertion that practice is bad. All evidence, from the laboratory
       | and from extensive case studies of professionals, indicates that
       | real competence only comes with extensive practice... In denying
       | the critical role of practice one is denying children the very
       | thing they need to achieve real competence. The instructional
       | task is not to "kill" motivation by demanding drill, but to find
       | tasks that provide practice while at the same time sustaining
       | interest."
        
       | dandanua wrote:
       | Focusing on solving hard problems, like in programming, is a good
       | option too. Because when we solve something we keep our minds in
       | motion on fixed tracks.
        
         | quickthrower2 wrote:
         | Exercise too.
         | 
         | The question is how long. Doing intense stuff needs breaks.
        
       | carlossouza wrote:
       | > But that mistakes what a book is for. A book is a tool. It's a
       | machine for thinking.
       | 
       | Best quote in the article. Taking the time to read, absorb and
       | apply a book changes us in a way no summary or audiobook could
       | ever change.
        
       | iainctduncan wrote:
       | The linked article on the value of old books is a really nice
       | read too. Great writing.
       | 
       | https://www.millersbookreview.com/p/vital-necessity-of-very-...
        
       | twelfthnight wrote:
       | Article sets itself up a rebuttal against another post. The other
       | post argues you shouldn't read books because they are too long
       | and mostly filler.
       | 
       | This article then suggests the classics themselves are a
       | demonstration that disproves that anti book sentiment.
       | 
       | Personally, I disagree with both points of view, I think reading
       | books is valuable, but I don't think "the classics" are a good
       | argument why.
       | 
       | For me, reading is good because it is _both_ enjoyable and
       | informative. The antibook argument suggests you read the most
       | information dense material you can, but like, that's not going to
       | stick because it's boring and minds work on narrative / spaced
       | repetition.
       | 
       | Likewise, many folks find the classics boring, so they aren't a
       | good example of why reading is good either.
       | 
       | The best argument for why reading books is good is to help
       | someone find a book they like! Once you get started reading,
       | you'll likely do more of it and learn a lot more than (a) just
       | reading blogs and (b) trudging through classics that aren't
       | appealing to you (although there are very like classics you will
       | like)
        
       | cyberpunk wrote:
       | Note: this is about Christian monks, of which I could speak
       | little. However as an ordained Buddhist monk, I would say, don't
       | listen to this bullshit ;)
       | 
       | We don't know fucking anything more than you do about focus, and
       | I say that as a guy who spends an hour a day staring at a blank
       | wall for 10 years already...
       | 
       | Don't do it for some kind of attainment aiiight?
        
         | carrolldunham wrote:
         | I thought you had rules against indulging in mindless
         | entertainments (social media (hn)) and fraternizing with
         | laypeople?
        
         | CrzyLngPwd wrote:
         | Ten years is a long time to repeat the same mistake.
         | 
         | I hope you now spend your hour a day with no expectations, and
         | I also hope you spend it outside of the cult of achy legs and
         | standing in nature instead.
        
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