It is unreasonable to think of going to a book group meeting and opining about a book you did not even read.

More rude: Going to a PhD seminar and participating in the discussion without reading the book first.

And of course, no one wants a doctor operating on them if she has not read the latest journal article on this particular procedure.

Imagine boarding a plane, with a captain who has not taken his annual pilot tests or an accountant who has not read on the latest tax changes.

It makes no sense to me to vote for a candidate who does not care enough to have read [and understood] the challenges faced by the community and history of candidates that came before.

A first challenge: Are you aware of what the reading [your reading] must include? What is on the list? The more professional your field, the more likely it is that people know what is on the list.

The reading is not merely a book, of course.

The reading is what we call it when you do the difficult work of learning to think with the best, to stay caught up, to understand.

The reading exposes you to the state of the art.

The reading helps you follow a thought-through line of reasoning and agree, or even better, challenge it.

The reading takes effort.

If you have not done the reading, why expect to be treated as a professional?