Is Tsundoku Bad? No, Tsundoku Is an Invitation to an Intellectual Adventure!

"Tsundoku" (the act of accumulating unread books),
I'm sure every book lover can relate to this.

Books stacked flat in bookstores, new release sections,
and before you know it, unread books piling up on your bookshelf.

This time,
I thought I would write about this "tsundoku" phenomenon,
and the inspiration for it was the following article.

This article
seems to focus on "how much money is wasted annually due to tsundoku," but
what caught my attention was

the point that having "6 or more" unread books is considered a lot.

In this article,
"people with 6 or more unread books are people with a lot of unread books"seems to be what they want to
argue, but

From the data that "66% of respondents answered they have 6 or more unread books,"
couldn't it rather be interpreted that "having 6 or more unread books is not unusual"?

…Or rather,
the truth is that I want to interpret it that way.

Because,
my own collection of unread books easily exceeds 1,500,
and it might even be close to 2,000.

When it's said that "6 or more is a lot of unread books,"
it's honestly a bit painful to hear (´▽｀；)ゞ

How many unread books do you have?

Now, here is the main point.

Unread books are seeds of intellectual curiosity

I feel that Tsundoku is often spoken of as if it were
"evil."

Because I hear criticisms like
"It's a waste to buy books you don't read,"
"It's proof of laziness,"
or "You're just satisfied with the act of buying."

But is that really the case?

I consider Tsundoku to be
"seeds of intellectual curiosity."

Stacked books are seeds of intellectual curiosity.

I believe those seeds hold the potential to sprout someday
and bloom into beautiful flowers.

Tsundoku is a map of interests

Tsundoku can also be called
the act of visualizing
the desire to "know."

Stacked books can be thought of as
"a map of your own interests."

Tsundoku quietly tells a story about
what kind of knowledge you are seeking,
what kind of world you want to explore,
and what kind of person you want to become.

That is what it quietly tells us.

Furthermore, Tsundoku also has the effect of
accumulating knowledge unconsciously.

Every time you see the titles or covers of stacked books,
you can imagine, "I bet this book is written about this," and through that, your brain processes information and builds a network of knowledge.

Couldn't you say that process is
"a process that enriches your intellect"?

Also, Tsundoku can be
a trigger to invite serendipity (fortunate accidental discoveries).

A single book you happen to pick up from the stack
might bring about an encounter that changes your life.

When I look at my stack of unread books during a difficult time, I sometimes think,
"Maybe this book is what I need right now,"
and pick it up.

Sometimes, a book I pick up unconsciously
turns out to be exactly what I needed at that moment.

Looking at your stack of unread books.

I think it's an exciting experience, just like a treasure hunt.

Unread books are an investment in the future

Having a backlog of unread books is by no means a waste.

It is an investment in your future.

A stack of books
gives you the peace of mind that you can read them whenever you want.

This creates a sense of mental ease
and also has the effect of reducing stress.

By being surrounded by books,
"Even if I'm worried about something, the solutions are in these books,"
thinking this makes you feel more at ease.

Increasing your stack of unread books
leads to being able to obtain the necessary information when you need it.

That is why,
when you suddenly need specialized knowledge for work,
or when you want to learn a new skill as a hobby,
from among the many stacked books,
you will surely be able to find the perfect one.

Unread bookscan also be called"intellectual assets."

Stacked books
connect with your life experiences and values,
forming your own unique system of knowledge.

Please take a look at the books you own,

aren't those books
irreplaceable treasures
that enrich your life?

A Recommendation for Tsundoku

“You should just buy and read books when you want to read them.”

I think that is also an important way of thinking.

However, I also think it is an important way of thinking to buy books when you feel like you want them.

I have nearly 2,000 unread books, and to be honest, there are even books that I think I will probably never read.

Even so, I can feel my own growth, thinking things like, “I’ve changed a lot since back then,” or “Was I really worried about things like this back then?”

That is also quite interesting in its own way.

Also, by buying books when I want them, when I run into a problem, I can find them and think, “Oh, I have this book!”

If you don’t buy a book when you want it, I don’t think it’s guaranteed that you will be able to encounter that book again after some time has passed.

Of course, in that case, you could also think, “It just wasn’t meant to be.”

However, thanks to having bought it when I wanted it, I can also think, “I bought this for this very moment.”

I like to think that way, so I buy as many books as I can when I want them, and as a result, my pile of unread books keeps growing.

And well…

Some books go out of print very quickly.

Precisely because even very good books can go out of print quickly, I want to keep them on hand just in case, even if I don’t have the time to read them right now.

Before, I used to think, “It’s fine as long as it’s released as an e-book!”

However, even with e-books,
there is a possibility that sales will be discontinued.

For example, the following two books,
as the words "Kindle version" are included,
were originally sold as Kindle versions,
but they are no longer sold as Kindle versions now.

And since the books themselves are out of print,
if you want to read them, you have no choice but to find them used.

It is precisely because these things happen
that I want to get the books I want
as soon as possible.

Philosophy books are especially like this.

Because they are not sold as Kindle versions
and go out of print quickly,
if you find them, you must buy them immediately,
or you might never be able to get them again...

A backlog of unread books is an invitation to an intellectual adventure

I don't think a backlog of unread books is something to feel guilty about at all.

On the contrary, a backlog of unread books stimulates intellectual curiosity and holds the potential to enrich your life,

an invitation to an intellectual adventure, wouldn't you say?

So, why not stop feeling guilty about your backlog
and instead enjoy building it up?

The books you have piled up
will surely become a lighthouse that brightly illuminates your future.

And someday,
that lighthouse will guide you to a new world.

Come on, let's increase our backlog of unread books together!

P.S.

...And that was my excuse for having a backlog of unread books.

No, I personally believe that having a backlog of unread books actually leads to intellectual adventures
and makes life richer.

However, in my case,
it's not so much that I'm building a backlog of unread books on purpose,
but rather that I've ended up with one as a result,
so calling this a 'recommendation for unread books' doesn't quite feel right.

When I read one book,
before I know it, ten more books have been added as related reading.

Because of that situation,
my pile of unread books just keeps growing.

I wrote this article because
I ended up with a backlog of unread books unexpectedly,
and that backlog helped me grow.

That is why I wrote it.

If you feel guilty about having a backlog of unread books,
you don't need to feel guilty at all,
in fact, let's just enjoy having that backlog!

I hope that message comes across.

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Well then, thank you for reading until the end!

Since a backlog of unread books is an 'invitation to an intellectual adventure',
let's not feel guilty about it, but rather turn it into a positive!