Cross Pollination Reorder

CPR or ADD? What’s your approach?

Cross Pollination

Imagine there are five books on your table. Most people would ask, “What books are you reading?” Would you consider asking, “How are you reading your books?” Inquiring about the process in which on reads books and gathers informaion.

Do you read one book at a time? Do you read part of one book, then shift to another? Are the books in some kind of rotation? How quickly do you read? Do you knock out a bunch of chapters at each sitting? Or do you engage in other tasks before finishing a chapter? These are some fun questions to uncover someone’s process with reading.

Here’s a question you might not think to ask: “Do you read the book in the order it was written?” There have been a number of books (usually non-fiction), that I’ve read backwards. Well, not strictly backwards, as in sentence by sentence backwards. Rather reading in some king of reverse order, like the end chapters, then backtrack to the middle and beginning.

Identify Your “How”

Why am I speculating about this? I believe that part of the fun of doing something is ‘how’ you do it, not just ‘what’ you’re doing. The “how” is an essential part of the experience. Think about it, is the purpose about consuming a story or information? Or is about how you navigate the process? What is the content without the context?

I remember during my developmental years of schooling (heck, even during high school), I was informed ‘how’ to consume my information. When I revealed my consumption style, I would usually receive some form of disapproval. Often I was told there was a more appropriate way to do it. I’d play along, and learn someone else’s “better way.” Although I usually did it the way that felt right for me anyway.

Today with such a barrage of information coming our way through media and social media, the consumption of books is likely of a smaller proportion for the average person. Due to increasing access to more information than ever before, people have switched their interactions with books to other ways of consuming content.

Your Default Process

I notice that the ‘how’ I’ve chosen throughout my life is easier to accept these days. Modern lifestyle includes more opportunities to engage style of “cross pollination.” It’s no longer looked at as a strange habit, rather it’s a valid way of being. Reading bits and pieces from various sources in a nonlinear manner.

Since it’s become a chosen method for how to go about one’s online behavior, it’s understandable how this strategy is used with other things. Was I prepping for this reality of circumstances unknowingly? Was it rebellious of me to do before it became more acceptable to do so? I don’t know.

It’s cool to consider that maybe I had a leg up about how to process information in current times. I’ve realized and accepted that this process can be labeled as a form of disorder, like attention deficit disorder. From someone else’s vantage point, it may not make sense. Yet from my vantage point it works. What if there’s been a grander order to it all along?

Sure, it took me longer to finish each of the books I read. Is that such a big deal? My chosen engagement allowed for the process of cross pollination to occur. Giving rise to broader understanding and fostered a highly valuable assimilation process. Cross referencing different ideas and disciplines continually reaping unintended rewards. Bits of gold at the end of the rainbow I couldn’t foresee.