How do continue to read?

[Cunningfox]

Greetings Literature Network,
I am a 19 year old male that studies in a university. I created this account as part of an assigment where we are supposed to be part of an internet community. Most of my spare time I play computer games or go out with friends, and in some cases I watch series/movies. When I was younger I read a lot but nowadays that doesn't feel as important. I respect people that read and think of it as the best way to have fun and still learn a lot.
So my question to you is; why do you choose to reading over other things? The only time I read is when I read the newspaper on the subway or the bus.

Thank you!

[PeterL]

So my question to you is; why do you choose to reading over other things? The only time I read is when I read the newspaper on the subway or the bus.

Thank you!

Why? Because reading is much more interesting than all but a very few humans, and it allows one to avoid dealing with actual humans. But it is a matter of what strikes one's fancy. Ifone finds authors who amuse one, then one can read what that author writes, then one can venture into related realms, and so on, until one becomes unafraid of reading. I find the best way to choose a book is to wander into a suitale section of a book store (Used books preferable because the variety is greater), then I reach out and grab something. Before buying I use the sentence test: I read one sentence from a random page in the middle and see whether the style is accpetable; I usually go further than a single sentence, but one sentence is often enough to condemn a book.

You have to remember that one word is worth a thousand pictures, so all that video on the games is a waste. Go to the heart of the matter and read something good. Or something that you like.

[hannah_arendt]

I like reading because I like using my brain, getting to know something new. Spending your free time in front of your computer playing computer game is according to me a waste of time. I am very happy that I didn`t have a computer when I was a child.

[coeus]

I also enjoy video games, movies, and going out with friends. I also love to read. Reading is not an introverts only activity. It is an enjoyable experience, different from others. It allows more depth in character and story than either movies or games. And if you have a daily commute, that is the perfect time to read. I find books far more enjoyable and informative than most newspapers.

[JBI]

I disagree with many in the sense to me the joy of reading comes from discussion. Whether between texts or between individuals. I love talking about books. The problem is to find one who understands things that you do. When I first came to china I thought I would find that here, but then realized Chinese people on average are as culturally ignorant as North Americans if not more.

We poetry readers have an even harder time finding people who understand what we do. Novel readers seem a whole other breed of reader. It's isolating, especially for us who are into specialized fields like pre-tang Rhapsodies.

[mal4mac]

Greetings Literature Network,
When I was younger I read a lot but nowadays that doesn't feel as important... I think of it as the best way to have fun and still learn a lot...

So isn't having fun and learning important?

[Cunningfox]

Thank you for the replies. It is too bad that one of you had to be so offensive towards my way of living because I thought I had a rather gentle approach. Either way I have understood that reading means different things for you, for some it is to be isolated from your environment and for others it is to have something to talk about with others. We use our free time however we want and one of the reasons I started this thread is to start reading more.
About video games, it is mostly a question about what generation you are from. For generations older than me it is probably hard to grasp that we use a lot of time to play games.
But I will take the advice given from PeterL and go to the book store and search for an book from an author whos writing I like.

"So isn't having fun and learning important?"

Yes it is important. But I get a lot of that from school already, yes I have fun in school and I learn things everyday. Which is why it is nice to sometimes do something mindlessly when at home.