I'm good at math. I hate it because it bores me, but I'm good at it. I just don't do it unless I have to. It's boring because it's all there in black and white. You do a, it produces c. Boring. Booooooooorrrrrrrrrinnnnnnnngggggggg.
I like things where there's plenty of room for argument and speculation. Sure, it means this. But it could also mean this, this and this. There's an infinite number of avenues one could tread down when talking of philosophy, morals, ethics, theology or metaphysics. It's fabulous. I can talk about it for hours if I've got a good partner. I love 'what ifs'.
But on a more tangible level I love to read about the same stuff. It's fascinating to try and understand how other people understand the tangible world through their own limited comprehension and experience and to adapt that to my limited comprehension and experience. I like history because history is never boring. Even though it's all already happened and is therefore somewhat set in stone there's still the understanding of the cause and effect of everything to think about.
I'm finding that that's not typical. At least not for the people that I know IRL. They find it bizarre that I read books on theology or history or any of that for fun. They're always asking what class the book is for and give me a confused look when I tell them it's not for any class. It's just for me.
Oh, I completely agree! I remember people in school hating history and I was like 'huh? it's great!' :D
ReplyDeleteAnd of course theology is an interesting topic. That's why I so often appreciate the topics you bring up here and discuss on my blog. Glad to know some like-minded folks!
I have a question more than a comment on this post.
ReplyDeleteI, like yourself, work with a lot, A LOT of MORONS!
So that said, do you think that having some form or religion makes you more likely to be a reader? as in all types of books not cheap magazines?
At work if asked I can tell you now out of say 20 women, maybe 1 would be a reader. all the others being gossip readers... there are only 2 people in my office (40 women) that would openly say they practice/live religion regularly. I am one of them.
So my question is, does education level and religion have an impact on the amount you read? (other than scripture)
and the 2nd question would be, does class have a contributing factor also? (And anyone who says to me that there is no such thing as Class in the UK, I will openly laugh in their face and tell them to open their eyes...) Do you think this is true in the USA?
Susanne,
ReplyDeleteYup. I knew people who fell asleep in history class and I just couldn't believe it. It's so interesting!
The internet is great that way. We get to meet people who think like us!
slice,
ReplyDeleteIt's an epidemic! The morons are taking over!
Huh. I never really thought about that. Considering my own office, I'd have to say yes. The one other woman in my group who reads a lot (and not gossip mags, etc.) is a devout Baptist. I know there are a few other women in the building who I see reading at lunch, but I don't really know them so I can't speak to their religiosity.
I think that education does have an impact on the amount of time a person spends reading. People who are better educated understand novels, etc. better. They get more out of them. It's not just the popcorn input of tv or movies. Books require you to think and to stretch your imagination. Education also requires you to stretch your mind. So I think they go together. Class, unfortunately also seems to play a part. The very poor don't have the opportunities that other people do for continued education. They might make it all the way through high school, but many of them wind up dropping out because they need to work to help support the family. They haven't got the time or the disposable income to spend on books. And they can't afford to go to college or beyond. Yes, there are programs to help but there's only so much of that to go around. There are still plenty of people who get left behind, as it were.
And on the other end of the spectrum, once you get to the idle rich, well, they don't always get a full education either. They can afford it, of course. But they don't *need* it because they don't anticipate ever needing to really work. So they just don't bother. Or they go and party. And they don't appear to be too inclined towards reading either. But for them it's because they're busy feeding every other whim that comes to them.