Holy Hell!

I’m 70 years old. For the past 50, I’ve been reading a book a day. Prior to that, during school days, I read between 2 to 4 books a day, depending on whether it was school or vacation. I never listened during school, and I never did a day’s homework. At the beginning of the school year, I read all my text books from one end to the other – usually during the first week. I have no idea how I got through anything, but I passed each year.

I simply enjoy reading. I don’t rush through it. I don’t believe in speed reading. I read every word. However, when on reads a lot, sight-reading happens. It means one just glances at the word and one knows what it is. People like me read 500 to 600 pages an hour. Well, not anymore, but I used to. My eyes are too bad, now.

I have no interest in self-improvement. I have never seen any need to improve myself. I am what I am.

It appears you read for solve problems. I read for pleasure.

As for the fear of missing out, I find it ludicrous. We can all only have so much. We all only have 24 hours in the day. We all can only eat so much or drink so much. We choose what it is we want, and we enjoy it and are happy with it. The fascination with wanting what other people have, I think, comes from being raised in a culture where parents and others constantly lusted after what others had.

Thankfully, I was rather blank of all of that. I was buys enjoying what I read, enjoying the clothes I wore, accepting the particular hardships of my life without complaint, and every definitely not trying to escape them. Acceptance has been a key part of who I am. Of course, I’m a nobody, have no assets, and will go out with nobody remembering me. So what.

There are no benefits to speed reading. Obtaining knowledge for its own sake gives you knowledge without context. Reading isn’t supposed to make you productive. And why must you be productive anyway. For what purpose? Reading is supposed to give you pleasure.

Am I mentally or physically unhealthy because I read too much? I truly doubt it. Please don’t blame reading. 😊