No, I didn’t do that. Charlie Munger did.
I just watched a video where Charlie casually told Andy Serwer from Yahoo Finance that he re-read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire because he wanted to feel better about the current political scene (of 2019).
What’s the obvious thing I’m noticing here?
Well, first of all we’re talking about a 3000-page 6-volume book that I have unsuccessfully been trying to get through for years. And I consider myself someone who reads more than a casual reader.
And Charlie just re-read it? It got me thinking: did he manage to re-read it in spite of being the Vice Chairman of one of the largest corporations in the world or because of it?
I’m telling myself I haven’t managed to finish this book because I don’t have the time, I have kids to feed and a business to run. But my business is (just a little bit) smaller than Charlie’s. So does that mean I should have more or less time to read than Charlie?
But the real reminder here is noticing how Charlie said he did that in order to make himself feel better about today. This reminded me: most things are much better today than they were in the past – if only we’d notice them.