Fascinating article

Sep 08, 2009 12:50

This is exactly what has happened to me:

The lost art of reading

me

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Comments 12

willow_41z September 8 2009, 18:09:00 UTC
Yes! I agree with this. One thing I'm trying to do this year is slow down and relax more. I totally agree with what he says about how the pace of life is distracting-- we've become totally addicted to instantaneity.

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fabricalchemist September 8 2009, 19:16:06 UTC
Seconded!!!!!!!!! It's reaching the point where I am digging in my heels and making myself go slower. There aren't enough hours in the day, and recharging with some book time is totes importanate.

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checkers65477 September 8 2009, 19:21:44 UTC
Yeah, it's weird. I find myself sitting in front of the computer, even when I read, and allowing myself to get distracted every few minutes by the shiny!internet.

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emmaco September 8 2009, 19:28:42 UTC
I am obviously too dedicated to my couch - I sit and read there straight for a couple of hours far too often (too often judging by the state of the kitchen, anyway!). But I do find it harder than I used to (years ago) sit and work at the computer without having lots of breaks on the internet.

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willow_41z September 8 2009, 21:53:20 UTC
15.) in 50 things that are being killed by the Internet says the same thing.

I disagree with part of that list.

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jade_sabre_301 September 8 2009, 22:57:37 UTC
for me it's a matter of attention span--I have to force myself not to look at the number of page numbers I have left, or what time it is, or whether or not someone has emailed me--you just have to stop and let go. Which is easier with fiction than non-fiction, but I don't have much fiction-reading time right now. D:

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checkers65477 September 9 2009, 00:26:53 UTC
Yeah, the internet has done permanent damage to my attention span.

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tiegirl September 9 2009, 00:18:09 UTC
Jade, me too! And I'm usually so tired that it's just easier to (not really) concentrate on TV or the internet than an actual story. How sad!

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tearoha September 9 2009, 09:12:52 UTC
Yes. I agree. On the damage to attention spans in particular. Oh, *especially* non-fiction. I have such a hard time with textbooks.

But what I really like is this: I find myself driven by the idea that in their intimacy, the one-to-one attention they require, books are not tools to retreat from but rather to understand and interact with the world.

And this: I was reading both to escape and to be engaged.

And that is why reading is still worth it, even if it does become harder work.

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checkers65477 September 10 2009, 02:58:34 UTC
I agree! Absolutely.

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