Total Recall

A legendary NFL coach, Chuck Noll, provides a compelling example of the value of reading and learning from historical figures. Noll, one of only two NFL coaches to have won at least four Super Bowls, was a Hall of Famer who coached the Pittsburgh Steelers for 23 years. His biographer, Michael McCambridge, recounts an incident that underscores Noll’s profound understanding of the power of knowledge. At the end of his career, Noll was walking through the William Penn Hotel dining room when he noticed two assistants talking at a table.

 

“What are you guys talking about?” asked Chuck.

 

“Total Recall,” they answered.

 

They were discussing the movie’s concept, which revolved around scientists developing the capacity “to inject specific memories and impressions into the brain.”

 

“Chuck,” one of them asked, “Can you imagine the power of injecting a completely new and different point of view into the human brain?”

 

Chuck leaned over to get closer to them, gazed at their faces, and said, “They’ve had that around for hundreds of years.”

 

The assistants looked at each other incredulously.

 

“It’s called reading books.”

 

We take for granted what reading books can do. I can have an issue arise, and because of books, I can consult all the great minds throughout the ages. Obviously, the Bible is one. (Of course, I consider God to be the ultimate author of that book.) But there are others, too, including those from the ancient world.

 

I love reading Aristotle’s wisdom, especially when it comes to ethics. For example, I first read about meekness in the Bible, but it was Aristotle who taught me what it meant in the ancient world. And there are others I can consult from times past.

 

I can ask Saint Augustine what the city of God would be like.

 

Victor Hugo can guide me on what it means to love unconditionally in Les Miserables.

 

I can ask Mary Shelley, “What are you trying to tell me in Frankenstein?” And she can answer, “Without sexual morality and traditional family roles, you can believe you are creating a new and wonderful society. But in fact, you are creating a monster.”

 

I can ask Ulysses S. Grant what it was like to go from a lowly volunteer to the commanding General of the Union Army and win the Civil War.

 

I can have Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie tell me about business.

 

Dale Carnegie can talk to me about winning friends, overcoming worry, or even how to speak.

 

I can ask Johnny Cash what it is like to be – Johnny Cash.

 

Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison can teach me about the virtues of the U. S. Constitution and why we need it.

 

Earl Nightingale, who helped teach my dad how to comport himself in life, taught me as well.

 

Ted Turner can tell me what he was thinking when the stress of the mountain of debt he had created to start CNN caused him to shake uncontrollably one evening when he was showering.

 

In essence, the beauty of reading lies in its ability to connect us with the thoughts and experiences of countless individuals across time. Whether it’s a question about history, ethics, or personal development, good writing offers a wealth of knowledge waiting to be explored.

 

The next time you want to have someone inject memories and impressions into your brain, consider picking up a good book.

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