I got this from another blog, I'm not sure what the original source is. The link there takes you to the Jakarta Post, but not to anything containing this quote:
Philosopher Martin Heidegger stated that human beings live existentially (Das Wesen des Daseins liegt in seiner Existenz). Reading is one way to experience our own existence and better understand the lives of others. Reading is also a habit of successful people.
I think this quote speaks for itself. If you don't think it's funny, I can't tell you why it is. But it got me thinking...why is reading held to be a sacred thing by so many, as if it were an unqualified good? How many times have I heard about a bad but popular book, "At least it's got people reading"? Who the hell cares if they're reading? Isn't it better to watch a good cartoon than to read a bad book? Isn't it better to do good drugs than read a bad book? Is reading going to suddenly transform society, when a critical mass of people suddenly make the jump from Michael Crichton to Proust or something? Is John Grisham analogous to a gateway drug, that will eventually lead you to the hard stuff? And why should people read things they won't understand? Or is reading such an unqualified good that they can just keep on reading Danielle Steele, and that is good enough in itself?
What the hell is so important about reading?
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4 comments:
I definitely see what you are saying, but I think reading might encourage the imagination. For example, my little sister refused to see Lord of the Rings because she wanted to have her own images of it than to read it. The fact that people watched it without reading it suggests that they are not at all trying to strengthen their imaginations, but they want things easy. I don't want to be a snob, I love my tv, but I'm just sayin': I understand.
Even though I agree good movies are better than bad books. But good books are better than the same movies.
Good books are better than anything, really....
adriel- get off your little sister's jock please/ Families that love AND respect each other make me feel ill at ease
chris d
This is supposed to be a place for you to come and stroke my ego, not play cyber-footsie with Adriel...
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