Deciding to Pay Attention

Since returning school I have had quite a few text books and articles to read. Surprise! :) Many of them are pretty dense and I can read them and not take in anything but I can also choose to digest it. This takes a lot more time and effort but I think it is definitely worth it. I mean really how helpful is it to read it to just say you have read it? 

Sometimes the digesting is nigh on impossible usually because of brain burn out (or too high of a cognitive load if you want to sound smart) or because there are too many distractions but I have been amazed at how much just the decision to want to understand can make. These are some of the things I do to understanding text (or lectures) that are at first pretty dense:

• Decide to pay attention
• Look up words I don't know
• This is particularly important if they show up more then once
• Not only do I look up the definition but I like to look up the etymology because it helps me remember it better
• Be willing to read a sentence or paragraph more than once if I don't get it the first time
• Look at the figures preferably when the text is talking about it
• Make notes
• If I have to think about something for a little bit before I get it I like to paraphrase it in the margin afterwards

Alright, most of those things are probably pretty obvious but I have to admit again how surprised I've been by how much just deciding that I can understand makes. 

I came across a scripture today that kind of said the same thing "...I am left to mourn because of ... the ignorance... of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be." (2 Nephi 32:7 emphasis added).

It is sometimes (always) just easier (lazier) not to try to figure it out, but it is incredibly satisfying to figure it out. The big words are not generally there just to be big and intimidating and to make the author look smart (although that does happen sometimes) they are there because they are more precise and actually convey the meaning better than a bunch of easier but imprecise words.