People that don't like to read...why?

Question

I've recently been spending a lot of time reading. Watching t.v. just doesn't interest me anymore. Well my boyfriend is the exact opposite. He often asks me what is so great about reading. I try to explain to him that reading can take your imagination to places you would have never imagined on your own. You take yourself to a different world each time you open up a book. Some books can inspire you, and shine light on areas of your life. He just doesnt understand how wonderful it is to read. And I can't understand how some people cannot appreciate a good book.

Answer 1

pray for him and try not to talk a lot about reading...it can have the opposite effect on him. just pray for him!

Answer 2

Although I now love to read, that was not always the case. I hated reading through much of my education. Reading is difficult for some, and some just aren't fast readers. When that is the case, reading is more of a chore than an escape into imagination. It would be like watching a strictly dramatic movie in another language (with very limited subtitles). It would quickly bore and/or frustrate you. I teach all of my students though to find something they like, and read that. The more they read, the better they get. I didn't find authors/books that I really liked to read until half way through college. Now I read all the time. Besides, not everyone enjoys the same things.

Answer 3

There's a weird thing I've noticed... Many of my friends are visual artists and painters. There seems to be a certain type of visual artist who is, while often times extremely imaginative and intelligent, not a reader.

(This is just a stereotype from my personal experience.)

Perhaps non-readers feel they can learn just as much from living as they can from reading. Or, they may be so involved with living their lives that reading just never takes priority over other things.

Among readers, there seems to be a tendency to lean extremely towards fiction or nonfiction. (Some might say that all books are really fiction.) Rarely, you'll meet a person who reads a balance of both.

I think that because reading takes a lot of time and effort, that it's hard for some people to see why they should ever choose to sit down and read, rather than do something that may seem much more appealing, important or practical.

It does seem like a non-reader is missing out on something. However, there is a trade off. The time we spend reading could be viewed as "missing out on real life".

I do think that a basic reading education makes the world a better place. It could be argued that knowledge of history breeds tolerance, for example. It often seems that people who never read non-fiction (especially science) hold irrational ignorant viewpoints. This is annoying on a personal level, and can be devastating on a social or political level.

I also feel that reading improves thinking. It's a kind of "thinking practice". We think in language, and reading (and writing) is a way to excercise our language ability, improve our imagination, and help us to give structure and meaning to our own thoughts--thoughts that might otherwise remain vague and less defined or understood.

Whether it's necessarily good or important for people to continue reading voraciously for their entire lives... that I'm not sure about.

Answer 4

I'd go nuts if I didn't read. I've had people tell me they don't like to read. It's too time consuming. . . It's boring. . . I've even had a 53 year old man tell me he never, ever read a book in his life and I called him an idiot. I guess some people just can't wrap their minds around the written words. No sense of concentration or continuity.

In my opinion, people who read are more intelligent, articulate and broadminded. They tend to be more educated and can carry on a good conversation. There is so much knowledge within the pages of a book.

Answer 5

I share what you say. Reading can take your imagination to something similar to your fancy dreams.
A person percieves things by seeing, reading, touching, smelling etc. In these reading is the only thing which needs the help of your capacity to imagine for understanding it better. In different people this process of imagining may be at different levels and hence their interests in reading. I came across people who could not understand what a particular thing would look like even after virtually describing each and everything about it till it was made physically and shown to them.
..... btw dont insist your boy friend to read what you like. Show him some automobile magazine with jazzy photographs and some articles littered here and there.

Answer 6

I can understand how people like books and how people can like television. Books do take you places but some people don't have the capacity or sometimes the expertise to be able to read efficiently enough to take enjoyment from it. T.V. takes no mental capacity, you just watch as it goes on, no mental power required. I take enjoyment from both forms. I love the Travel channel. Food is nice at times as well. There's a few channels you can really learn from, the rest I stay away from. But niether ways are efficient when you compare them to real life experience and learning hands on from contacts, associates, and mentors.

Answer 7

You've got two choices: accept your differences (different strokes and all, if you'll forgive the television pun) or find a book that he would like, that would engage him. Remember, just cuz it's your favourite book, doesn't mean it would be his. Look at what he watches on TV, see if there's anything there that inspires him, not just passes the time, like most of the TV idiocy does, and try to find something along those line.

eg. Star Trek fan, The Star Wolf series by David Gerrold.
Sports fan, autobiography of one of his fav's
Likes action movies, go with Michael Crichton (smart thrillers)

etc etc.

Answer 8

it is easier to watch tv, you dont need an imagination. when you read, you create the colors and characters and places in your mind. it is too much work for some people. everyone can learn to love to read. sadly, most kids are not taught to love to read, they think it is a chore that they have to do just for school and so they learn to hate it. and those kids grow into adults that dislike reading as well. sad, but true.

Answer 9

The only way of inspiring people to read is to provoke a reaction. Many books aren't able to do that.

Answer 10

I am just like you. :D I love reading. I have been devouring books ever since I was 4.
Maybe he hasn't been brought up that way, maybe he hasn't read any books that are interesting, maybe it's high school residual anger. There must be something he likes to read - comic books, soft porn, ANYTHING. YOu can go from there and find something he'll enjoy.

Ellie

Answer 11

You are right, but most people live with there present habits and you know it most of the people love that work which enteratain. Books are really very useful and enjoyble thing but after leaving it for sometime it does not attract as much as TV or Cinema.
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