Thee book vs a book - my virus parodox

Health, like any topic that is really important, raises people emotions makes them passionate. How often have you meet someone and they are ranting and raving about this new book? (or how often have you or I done it?) . We spout off about how it is so cool and it is changing their lives, and the answer to life the universe and everything and if everyone just did this new idea all health problems would be solved and world peace would occur (or maybe not).

When I was much younger I used to argue with people like this and try and change there mind, and was very satisfied if I deflated their balloon. Man I wasn't that nice to be around, no wonder I didn't have many friends! Know I politely nod and then ask lots of questions so that they can explain it to me to the best of there ability.

I figure if I get it it will be one less book I have to read. And as books and the ideas they hold tend to infect people like virus (why do The Matrix come to mind.. for those who don't remember the scene check it out here on you tube). So as other people here this new theory they often ask me about it (ask david dot com). And now that someone else has told me about it I can at least appear somewhat knowledgeable in the areas I am supposed to be an expert in. And if it really seems interesting I can read the book...

Scott Young states some awesome reasons to read more in his blog. One of them he says is :

"Knowledge. It only takes reading 10-20 books on a subject until you know more on that topic than most of the population. Read 200-300 books on a subject and you’re an expert."

I think this is very wise advice. I find that after 10-20 books on a subject when someone start to rave about some new idea, even if I haven't heard about that exact area, it kind of makes sense and fits in.

I wonder what the world would be like if we had to read 10-20 books before making any comments about the topic.... (of course no body would have anything to talk about).

I have also noticed that one the few topics I have read 200-300 books I know quite a lot about them, and know so much in fact, that I don't know how much I know. I often surprise myself by what comes out. For the record I have only two areas that I have read that much about, one is self help/self improvement - for example above I needed it! And the other one is optimal nutrition, though this one is not 200-300 books, but more about 50-100 books and hundreds of journal articles, which I think counts.

Of course the irony is that I want as many people as possible to be "infected" by my book and talk up my book and say that it is thee book. Raving and ranting about how it changed their lives. Because I truly believe that if people took to heart the message that lives would be changed for the better and "miracles" would occur, and though world peace would not happen, it would get pretty close to it. No doubt there is some ego need in there to, looks like I need to read another few hundred self esteem books to deal to that!