The Student Room Group

Reading books and sports

how is reading books interesting and important, how does it help you in work including everyday life?
how is sports fun and why is it important?
Reply 1
Sport helps me go every day at 100% :smile:
Reading books - I only really read non fiction books, if I find the subject interesting. You learn stuff and it can open your mind to new ideas.

I don't find competitive sports fun, but exercise is important for health reasons.
Reply 3
I think that reading books is largely a complete waste of time,I really do.

It doesn't stop me reading 200 books a year and buying many more however because I love reading.

But has it helped me in any discernible way? Nope.

Lots of people don't like playing sport of course.I recommend dancing as the best way to stay reasonably fit for years.
Original post by moggis
I think that reading books is largely a complete waste of time,I really do.

It doesn't stop me reading 200 books a year and buying many more however because I love reading.

But has it helped me in any discernible way? Nope.

Lots of people don't like playing sport of course.I recommend dancing as the best way to stay reasonably fit for years.


You find knowledge, inspiration, entertainment, and conversation topic in books. To deride the practice as a "complete waste of time" is ridiculous.
Reply 5
Original post by Drunk Punx
You find knowledge, inspiration, entertainment, and conversation topic in books. To deride the practice as a "complete waste of time" is ridiculous.


I don't think it's rediculous to say what I said.I must have read over 2000 books in my time and,including e books,currently own over 2000 books.
I LOVE books.I am a genuine bibliophile.
But the point is everything you do has a cost,an opportunity cost,and the cost in terms of the ( all too precious ) time taken to read those books is not worth it.
It might be worth it if you could recall everything you read but you can't.
I also pointed out that it has made no discernible difference to me.If that's true then my comment is reasonable it seems to me.
And anyway you can find knowledge,inspiration,entertainment and topics for conversation on the internet I'm lead to believe.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by moggis
I don't think it's rediculous to say what I said.I must have read over 2000 books in my time and,including e books,currently own over 2000 books.
I LOVE books.I am a genuine bibliophile.
But the point is everything you do has a cost,an opportunity cost,and the cost in terms of the ( all too precious ) time taken to read those books is not worth it.
It might be worth it if you could recall everything you read but you can't.
I also pointed out that it has made no discernible difference to me.If that's true then my comment is reasonable it seems to me.
And anyway you can find knowledge,inspiration,entertainment and topics for conversation on the internet I'm lead to believe.


But your entire post (and that one too) is a contradiction of itself. You love reading books but think it's a waste of time, you have thousands of books but think the time you spent reading them wasn't worth it, etc.

You're doing something that makes you happy, which doesn't make it a waste of time at all. How else would you spend your time? Solving world hunger? Curing cancer? There are many things that could be considered as "more worth the time spent than doing x", but that doesn't mean that x (in this case, reading) is a waste of time.

You can find many things on the Internet, but if I was given a choice between the Internet and books I'd choose the latter every time. But regardless of my choice, and regardless of how many more choices there are that also provide those things, none of them are a waste of time if you get something out of it.

Which is why I said your initial post was ridiculous :yy:
Reply 7
I keep having all sorts of probs typing on my ipad whenever I quote someone so I will write then quote.

Ha,yes I had managed to work out why you believe what I wrote is rediculous.

On the face of it it would appear to be contradictory.But I don't think it is at all.

I've been thinking for some time of making a thread outlining my reasons for believing that reading books is largely a waste of time in the hope that someone can disabuse me of the notion.
I have several reasons for thinking so but I don't have time to outline them here and now.You are right,it would appear that my happiness is due in no small part to the fact that I spend a lot of time doing something I love doing.
The irony is that the thing I'd be doing if I didn't waste so much time reading is writing a book!Ive been writing it off and on for 5 years now,lol.Its something that means everything to me or else I wouldn't be writing the damn thing,ha,ha.But once it was finally finished I'd concentrate on becoming the best DJ I can and the best tournament poker player I can be so that I can spend a year playing high stakes tournaments around the world.And I expect both of those things to be better for me ,especially in the longterm,than Reading..Other than that I'd just say that I think it's a bit more complicated than you imply but I'm happy for you that you get something out of reading books.Actually instead of doing a thread saying reading books is a waste of time maybe I could just ask people,"What are the 5 most profound things you have learned just from books?" I will then reserve final judgement til I see the answers.But,do you know what? I think most people would really struggle to answer that question. And if so I will think I was right.Off to read a chapter of Sanctuary now.....about Branwell Bronte,the dejected,despondent,tragic brother of Charlotte et al.Sometimes I really do wonder how reading such books can make me happy ha ha.Take care.
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 8
Original post by Drunk Punx
But your entire post (and that one too) is a contradiction of itself. You love reading books but think it's a waste of time, you have thousands of books but think the time you spent reading them wasn't worth it, etc.

You're doing something that makes you happy, which doesn't make it a waste of time at all. How else would you spend your time? Solving world hunger? Curing cancer? There are many things that could be considered as "more worth the time spent than doing x", but that doesn't mean that x (in this case, reading) is a waste of time.

You can find many things on the Internet, but if I was given a choice between the Internet and books I'd choose the latter every time. But regardless of my choice, and regardless of how many more choices there are that also provide those things, none of them are a waste of time if you get something out of it.

Which is why I said your initial post was ridiculous :yy:
See above post.

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