I don't read much, which is probably no surprise to some people who do, but I just am not so interested in it. Sure, there are the benefits of being able to talk about various topics and sound like you know about it - but, what is the point of sounding smart? I have never been a fan of the parrots. The internet is full of them now and unlike in the past, even the hurdle of having to source, read and remember information has been taken away by a smartphone and a targeted Google search.
Some people seem to highly value the collection of knowledge, even if it is impractical in nature aand generates nothing. We have been conditioned this way of course as in the past, the knowledgeable actually did have knowledge that they learned through study and practice and therefore, knowing indicated a skill level to back it up - but that isn't required any more - which is why there are so many internet gurus - search engine academics.
I think one of the reasons that so many people rely on the impractical collection and usage of knowledge is that it is safe, it is "verified" and they don't have to actually be able to do something, they can just point to someone else who has done it. It is perhaps akin to some kind of search for glory by association, name dropping to try to persuade the audience of authority on a subject. Google is the authority - Google knows all.
Side note: What would be interesting data is to see a topical conversation on the internet - and the search terms and results used by the participants ongoing in the background. I am willing to bet that a lot of what is being said by those who do not have practical or historical experience with the topic at hand, are bolstered by newly-found sources that support their view - lacking citation of course. An internet guru doesn't want to unveil their source of
powerinformation...
I guess that once people essentially spin content to become their thoughts often enough, they start to believe that they actually hold those skills. I have mentioned earlier how gamers tend to think they hold some of the real-world skills of the games they play, when in actual fact they are just good with the controller. The internet is similar I suspect - people feel smart because they can use a search engine. Intelligence via proxy.
But, what is the point if there is no personal input into the conversation, no investment of personal resources into discovering truth or falsity for oneself? Entertainment.
One of my favorite websites is https://www.etymonline.com/ and while my memory sucks and I can't remember most of what I read there, it is always interesting to discover the background of words, as it hints at potentially lost context.
While I am pretty critical of many forms of entertainment and how much time we as a society spend on it, I had never actually looked the word up before.
entertain (v.)
late 15c., "to keep up, maintain, to keep (someone) in a certain frame of mind," from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir "hold together, stick together, support" (12c.), from entre- "among" (from Latin inter; see inter-) + tenir "to hold" (from Latin tenere, from PIE root *ten- "to stretch").
To Hold or Bind.
entertainment (n.)
1530s, "provision for support of a retainer; manner of social behavior," now obsolete, along with other 16c. senses; from entertain + -ment. Meaning "the amusement of someone" is from 1610s; sense of "that which entertains" is from 1650s; that of "public performance or display meant to amuse" is from 1727.
Created for amusement.
Essentially, what this is saying is that entertainment is designed to hold attention, affect behavior, keep a person from doing something else - but I noticed that the Entertainment description required further investigation.
amuse (v.)
late 15c., "to divert the attention, beguile, delude," from Old French amuser "fool, tease, hoax, entrap; make fun of," literally "cause to muse" (as a distraction), from a "at, to" (from Latin ad, but here probably a causal prefix) + muser "ponder, stare fixedly" (see muse (v.)).
To divert the attention, beguile, delude.
"It is just harmless entertainment..."
Now, you might not find this interesting in the slightest, but I do. The reason I do is because I have spent a lot of time thinking about these things, but almost zero time consuming about them. I am sure there are a lot of smart people out there creating some great information, but consuming that information doesn't necessarily support making any practical move based upon it - it might just be for entertainment purposes. I suspect that most of what the parrots talk about is not only untested, it is also likely unobserved even from a third-person position. Just think about all those keyboard warriors - what does their daily life contain, where are they applying their knowledge?
It doesn't really matter whether a person is reading the greatest novel ever made, a comic book or a manual on how to surf - until it is practically applied, the knowledge is impotent. How much of what we consume has an intentional effect on our behavior - and how much of it Grabs our attention, holds us in place and deludes us into thinking we know, even though we have never done?
As I see it, we have created a world of Consumption as a personal achievement and this includes the collection of knowledge that we we are unlikely to ever use other than to have a conversation about something that we are unlikely to ever affect, because we just don't know enough to apply it to our world. We are entertained, we feel like we learned something, but nothing in our life changes.
I got a comment today after mentioning I don't read much saying something along the lines of, I write well despite not reading much. I understand the sentiment, but it is also interesting as from my own experience, people who read a lot tend not to be great writers as they spend their time mimicking others, not finding their own voice - it is not them, it is the parrot.
I write pretty much how and what I think and freewrite everything in a stream of consciousness - it doesn't matter if it is my observations on a conversation, a fiction story or a poem - it is a flow and I do not know where the next line is going to take me and because of my memory, I barely remember what I have written a couple paragraphs earlier. It is perhaps because of my poor memory that I have developed this style as I am unable to stay on topic for long - I wander because I don't remember where I was or where I was planning to go. It is not to everyone's tastes - but for me it is valuable to the conversations that are continually going on in my head, driven by bits of data that it pools in from my environment.
The word "entertain" changed purpose a little for a while at least:
Sense of "have a guest" is late 15c.; that of "gratify, amuse" is 1620s. Meaning "to allow (something) to consideration, take into the mind" (of opinions, notions, etc.) is 1610s. Related: Entertained; entertaining.
To have a guest - to entertain a thought.
I spend a lot of time entertaining thoughts, as I spend a lot of time observing the world and seeing where my imagination runs, seeing what connections it will make. However, it isn't the entertainment that binds me as it comes in through my living experience, it is directly related to my immediate physical world and therefore, has more chance of having practical applicability and being applied. For me, it is far more entertaining to have a relationship between my thoughts and my world in an ongoing discussion, rather than import thoughts in from others that are already formed, pre-chewed and designed for consumption, not consideration.
Well, that ended up longer than I thought it would be, but that is the way my mind works - it rambles along with no set destination mind, no outcome required - but the process for me leads to consideration to a level where it can affect my behavior -
Affect my own behavior
What a crazy thought to entertain....
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]