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I think that reading is unhealthy. The act of focusing your attention upon text and thoughts like that, for hours. It's like a mind-altering drug. No, I'm not talking about the knowledge gained. Just the "psychic act" of it. It's good too, but it's also unhealthy.
Ummmmmmm
You think human imagination is bad for humans? That’s what the “psychic act” of reading is, it’s just your imagination
Yes, I think that human imagination is bad. you got me
Is this the comment you claim got removed in the post edit?
yes. and there are half a dozen others by other people too.
Is this ragebait? I wish it got removed lmao
Shouldn't we see negative effects pop up in studies that compare readers to non-readers? Non-readers probably do interact with a bit more text nowadays, but AFAIK reading seems to have mostly positive effects.
the moderator removed my reply. do you believe that shit?
No because it's not gone lmao
Not if it's subtle and common. People generally only notice the obvious.
That might be true in the short term, but we've had books and avid readers for centuries, and during this time we've seen positive effects. So if there are any negative effects, they must be so tiny that they're neither noticeable nor measurable.
Is this the comment you claim got removed? Maybe read up on the issues piefed seems to have.
no, this comment did not get removed. only top level ones, only unpopular ones
okay I didn't know that about piefed. I suppose the other guys who got removed were on piefed too.
but it's suspiciously only top level comments that got removed. and only spicey unpopular ones.
but yes, stranger coincidences have happened. I will abridge statement.
What type of reading? Because the written word is the only reason humanity could progress at all as a society and pass information between generations… oral tradition is great and all, but not so great for objectively recording the way to create a steam engine or an aeroplane or a speed limit sign. I feel like maybe you missed some details in your opinion, otherwise this is a really crazy take
Return to monke
The kind of reading where you focus your attention for a long time on texts and thoughts.
Yes, reading has good things about it and also bad things about it. That's something that happens sometimes.
And yes, my opinion differs from the popular one, not to mention 100 years of pro-reading propaganda. That is also something that happens sometimes. sometimes people have ideas that conflict with the ideas of everyone else. if they make a bunch of money we call them geniuses, if they don't then we call them crazy.
So you're ok with like, reading Elden Ring stat pages? E.g. 16 Vigor? Or are videogames also unhealthy due to the focus requirement? Just trying to figure out the shape of your opinion here
By reading I mean the common thing : focusing your attention upon the words on the page and the thoughts they evoke in your mind and so on. The more intensely and more prolongedly you do it, the more intense the negative effects.
It gets you stuck in your head. You tend to stay there. Do it everyday and being stuck in your head becomes normal life for you and you forget there was anything else.
Ah yep I think U get what you mean now. You're talking about too much introspection right? Which can lead to rumination, depression, and anxiety. I agree that too much navel-gazing isn't healthy, but none at all isn't healthy either. You ideally want a balance where you're neither avoiding dealing with your deep inner problems, nor getting stuck endlessly self-analysing in a loop. At some point you need to go and actually live your life.
I'm not sure reading really has anything to do with it though; other than being a quiet activity that might promote introspection. If anything it might distract you from it. As someone with a fatigue condition, I was at my worst mentally when I was stuck in bed for hours every day, with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and think. Just completely alone with my thoughts. Not enough energy to distract myself at all.
Personally, I feel like 5% of people are overly introspective to the point of causing symptoms, 0.1% has a healthy balance, and the other 94.9% is the other extreme, and have never once even stopped to reflect in their entire lives; terrified of their own thoughts and feelings. Which is unhealthy in it's own way. Repressed issues tend to bubble up in unexpected paths (e.g. bad habits, addictions, behavioural issues)
"A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about except thoughts." - Alan Watts