# Curate Your Sources

**Published by:** [Şafak](https://paragraph.com/@afak/)
**Published on:** 2022-02-21
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@afak/curate-your-sources

## Content

If you don't curate your sources, they will be curated for you. Truth is the ultimate source, and every other source is an interpretation of it. Your sources shape your thoughts. Your thoughts shape your actions. Your actions shape your legacy. The first source you're exposed to becomes your reference point for all future sources. When you read something you know nothing about, you assume it's true. The first source then becomes your working hypothesis. How do you increase the chance that you're exposed to the right source? Begin with the classics: the books that have stood the test of time, and study them broadly before you go deep into a school of thought. Choosing sources is like choosing investments: narrow down to the extent that you trust your judgment. Otherwise, diversify. Most modern philosophy is recycled ancient philosophy. Timeless ideas will keep circulating infinitely. A big difference between then and now is that people take an old idea and turn it into a monetisable concept that they claim to have invented. Whereas ancient sources tend to be more value-dense, and have more depth. Most non-fiction books these days should've been essays. Open or hidden, everyone has an agenda. Choose your propaganda or be propagandised. Curate your sources or submit to the algorithm. Everyone lives in an echo chamber of sorts. Better make it a good one. When people get stuck in the wrong echo chamber, their mind gets infected by the wrong ideas. And it's difficult to snap out of it. Once they're indoctrinated they tend to disregard anything that contradicts their ideology. The more they trust the source, the less they care about the argument. You can learn something from everyone, but don't expect the same ROI. If it doesn't surprise you, read something else. Life is too short to expose yourself to low-quality content. Even if you don't see harm in it, it will program you nonetheless. You become what you repeatedly consume. Before you consider someone's argument, think of what incentives drive them. With the growth of the internet, information has become abundant. Be highly selective of your sources and look at people's motives. What are they trying to sell you? There's nothing wrong with people monetising their content, but beware of people trying to trick you into purchasing access to low-value information. Make sure the source can be trusted. The internet is like a free library of knowledge, if used right. Not having had formal education is a bad excuse to not be educated. If you have access to the internet, you have access to free education. Not everyone can learn from the same sources in the same time period. The level of understanding makes a big difference. People consume at their own level: what you call trash, others would call genius. The time is also important: books hit differently when you read them in the right phase of your life. Sometimes you need to revisit a source later on in life to fully get it.

## Publication Information

- [Şafak](https://paragraph.com/@afak/): Publication homepage
- [All Posts](https://paragraph.com/@afak/): More posts from this publication
- [RSS Feed](https://api.paragraph.com/blogs/rss/@afak): Subscribe to updates
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/safakcf): Follow on Twitter