is Reading a waste of Time?
I am addicted to reading. A sudden admission strikes like lightning came in the middle of a cacophonous thunderstorm, that is, a thunderstorm of entertainment devices. A PC downloads the latest MOBA, a tablet streams one of the many episodes of 30 Rock while my thumb flips downwards on a phone looking at the who's who of Facebook's feed posting live videos. So many kinds of entertainment in the media scream for my attention. Gotta catch the latest on Netflix, gotta catch what's up on Facebook... just gotta look on Steam for the latest and greatest new bargain for price reduced video games. A sure fire recipe for an early mid life crisis, and early burn out. The more I am entertained, the more I am certain I am wasting my life on Netflix, video games and Facebook.
Which brings me back to my first guilty love of pleasure, reading. Reading about brave adventurers tinged with brief romances. Indulging an increase in dopamine bliss. This "perceived accomplishment": when I finish a 500 page book in less than 3 days (especially if I stay up and pour all my energy into finishing this book, I could go deep into the night and end up as a zombie the next day, but at least... at least I would have accomplished a great deal of something about nothing. Staying up all night so I know how the story ends without cheating and just going straight to the last chapter)
Reading for pleasure rather than reading for knowledge could be one of the time wasters of my life. There is an innate understanding I think I share with all men of what kind of reading is good and beneficial, and what kind of reading is a complete waste of time. Like all guilty pleasures, reading for pleaseure justifications from addicts sound like:
1) It's not hurting myself, or anyone else, I'm still getting my job done and [children] taken care of when I have kids some day.
(is it still a victimless crime if I am immersed in a novel, and less so of a husband/brother/son)
2) I sometimes learn about science and the human mind.
(from science fiction and crime thrillers may instead perpetrate racial bias and common misconceptions such as the accuracy of a truth detector and
3) It's a better to spend your summer reading than watching TV all day, substance abuse or gang related activity.
(sure, there's always something worse you could be doing, but why not read or do something better)
4) Probably the "bigly" *cough* reason I (and so many others who are addicted to reading), a form of escapism from the real world.
Escapism is the act of running away from reality, and could be achieved by video games, movies, sitcoms, music, drugs or as we see now, story books. The reader often imagines himself (or herself) as the protagonist (main character) of the story. The trials and achievements the characters goes through are 'felt' in a way, when the reader is immersed into the setting, and the storyteller is able to let the reader visualize themselves in another world. Much like wearing a virtual reality headset, but in your imagination. The mark of a master storyteller would be to immerse the reader so much in their alternate reality (or if the story is set in this world, then I guess it would be this reality,.. just someone else in this reality).
However, it's not all black and white when taking the old mile in someone else's shoes, how do you justify their actions and reasoning based on their experiences, experiences you as a reader may not be familiar with, or do not agree with.
Another thing to note is that similar to playing video games excessively, an overindulgence in novels could lead to a losing grip with reality.
According to an August 12th 2008 article in the guardian, reading is more dangerous than other addictions because unlike other addictions, reading is "sanctioned", i.e. allowed and encouraged. From a young age, I was encouraged to further pursue and immerse myself in my hobby of reading, (and not blaming parents or teachers, who did discipline me when I was reading at the wrong time like in math and at the dinner table) and like all addictions, it can take a turn for the better and become a step in holistic development, maybe.
Or as is more common in cases of addictions an obsessive turn for the worst: when you need more to feel satisfied and start craving for a greater high in escapism or risky adventure novels. I guess reading isn't so different from other addictions after all. Reading was for me, a 'gateway' addiction of choice into comics, manga (japanese comics), manhwa (korean comics), and manhua (chinese comics), which are flavored in varying degrees of adventure, comedy, medieval fantasy and usually involve some form of time travel.
I guess it depends if the obsession would interfere with real life responsibilities all of us have as adults. The measure of maturity would be balance, being able to stop and prioritize the things we may not like, but really need to do as part of being an adult like paying bills, doing housework, balancing your checkbook (does anyone still do that? usually the bank statement does that for you nowadays).
Per Covey's Time Management Grid, there are 4 quadrants of urgency vs. important;
1. Urgent and Important
2. Urgent and not important
3. Not urgent but Important
4. Not urgent and not important
Since reading for pleasure usually falls under quadrant 4, as it is neither value adding nor do you need to do it right now. So why do I feel a constant reminder to read in the here and now instead of pursuing my other hobbies like chess, music, dancing and fishing. Is this my real life? Is my addled mind using reading as a way to stay on the dopamine sensory overload from the pleasure of reading [for pleasure].
After all this, I find that I'm not so different from people who chance their savings on gambling tables or on the stock market, finding a high on risky and self destructive conduct.
What else can I, or should I be doing with my life. Maybe I should volunteer to help at a local community center, would that help me feel better? Or maybe start cooking again as a hobby.
Or read my Bible more.
Sources
Addiction:
http://www.beyondliteracy.com/reading-addiction/
Christian Reading:
http://www.kevinhalloran.net/charles-spurgeons-9-tips-for-christian-readers/
The Danger of Reading addictions:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/aug/12/aslowcureforbookabuse
Covey's Time Management Grid (US geological survey)
https://www2.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementGrid.pdf
Reading as a waste of time:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jul/20/is-speed-reading-a-waste-of-time
http://www.city-data.com/forum/books/1960831-book-reading-bigger-waste-time-than.html
http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-reading-fiction-a-waste-of-time
Which brings me back to my first guilty love of pleasure, reading. Reading about brave adventurers tinged with brief romances. Indulging an increase in dopamine bliss. This "perceived accomplishment": when I finish a 500 page book in less than 3 days (especially if I stay up and pour all my energy into finishing this book, I could go deep into the night and end up as a zombie the next day, but at least... at least I would have accomplished a great deal of something about nothing. Staying up all night so I know how the story ends without cheating and just going straight to the last chapter)
Reading for pleasure rather than reading for knowledge could be one of the time wasters of my life. There is an innate understanding I think I share with all men of what kind of reading is good and beneficial, and what kind of reading is a complete waste of time. Like all guilty pleasures, reading for pleaseure justifications from addicts sound like:
1) It's not hurting myself, or anyone else, I'm still getting my job done and [children] taken care of when I have kids some day.
(is it still a victimless crime if I am immersed in a novel, and less so of a husband/brother/son)
2) I sometimes learn about science and the human mind.
(from science fiction and crime thrillers may instead perpetrate racial bias and common misconceptions such as the accuracy of a truth detector and
3) It's a better to spend your summer reading than watching TV all day, substance abuse or gang related activity.
(sure, there's always something worse you could be doing, but why not read or do something better)
4) Probably the "bigly" *cough* reason I (and so many others who are addicted to reading), a form of escapism from the real world.
Escapism is the act of running away from reality, and could be achieved by video games, movies, sitcoms, music, drugs or as we see now, story books. The reader often imagines himself (or herself) as the protagonist (main character) of the story. The trials and achievements the characters goes through are 'felt' in a way, when the reader is immersed into the setting, and the storyteller is able to let the reader visualize themselves in another world. Much like wearing a virtual reality headset, but in your imagination. The mark of a master storyteller would be to immerse the reader so much in their alternate reality (or if the story is set in this world, then I guess it would be this reality,.. just someone else in this reality).
However, it's not all black and white when taking the old mile in someone else's shoes, how do you justify their actions and reasoning based on their experiences, experiences you as a reader may not be familiar with, or do not agree with.
Another thing to note is that similar to playing video games excessively, an overindulgence in novels could lead to a losing grip with reality.
According to an August 12th 2008 article in the guardian, reading is more dangerous than other addictions because unlike other addictions, reading is "sanctioned", i.e. allowed and encouraged. From a young age, I was encouraged to further pursue and immerse myself in my hobby of reading, (and not blaming parents or teachers, who did discipline me when I was reading at the wrong time like in math and at the dinner table) and like all addictions, it can take a turn for the better and become a step in holistic development, maybe.
Or as is more common in cases of addictions an obsessive turn for the worst: when you need more to feel satisfied and start craving for a greater high in escapism or risky adventure novels. I guess reading isn't so different from other addictions after all. Reading was for me, a 'gateway' addiction of choice into comics, manga (japanese comics), manhwa (korean comics), and manhua (chinese comics), which are flavored in varying degrees of adventure, comedy, medieval fantasy and usually involve some form of time travel.
I guess it depends if the obsession would interfere with real life responsibilities all of us have as adults. The measure of maturity would be balance, being able to stop and prioritize the things we may not like, but really need to do as part of being an adult like paying bills, doing housework, balancing your checkbook (does anyone still do that? usually the bank statement does that for you nowadays).
Per Covey's Time Management Grid, there are 4 quadrants of urgency vs. important;
1. Urgent and Important
2. Urgent and not important
3. Not urgent but Important
4. Not urgent and not important
Since reading for pleasure usually falls under quadrant 4, as it is neither value adding nor do you need to do it right now. So why do I feel a constant reminder to read in the here and now instead of pursuing my other hobbies like chess, music, dancing and fishing. Is this my real life? Is my addled mind using reading as a way to stay on the dopamine sensory overload from the pleasure of reading [for pleasure].
After all this, I find that I'm not so different from people who chance their savings on gambling tables or on the stock market, finding a high on risky and self destructive conduct.
What else can I, or should I be doing with my life. Maybe I should volunteer to help at a local community center, would that help me feel better? Or maybe start cooking again as a hobby.
Or read my Bible more.
Sources
Addiction:
http://www.beyondliteracy.com/reading-addiction/
Christian Reading:
http://www.kevinhalloran.net/charles-spurgeons-9-tips-for-christian-readers/
The Danger of Reading addictions:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/aug/12/aslowcureforbookabuse
Covey's Time Management Grid (US geological survey)
https://www2.usgs.gov/humancapital/documents/TimeManagementGrid.pdf
Reading as a waste of time:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jul/20/is-speed-reading-a-waste-of-time
http://www.city-data.com/forum/books/1960831-book-reading-bigger-waste-time-than.html
http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-reading-fiction-a-waste-of-time
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