Correct: Reading without utilitarianism is a waste of life.

Reading is to enlighten wisdom, broaden horizons, absorb nutrients, and help success. Successful people love to read and share their reading lists.

For example, Warren Buffett’s partner Munger said, “Of all the smart people I come into contact with, there is not a single one who doesn’t like to read.” The implication is that you have to become enough To be smart, you must keep reading. Isn't it a strong utilitarianism to make oneself smart?

There is also Bill Gates, who shares his book list with netizens every year. His fans will buy the corresponding books to read. They are all eager to absorb high-quality nutrition from the books recommended by Gates. Isn't this also utilitarian?

Also, the purpose of studying and going to school since childhood is to find a good job and a high-paying job in the future. Every student is utilitarian. If spending ten or twenty years studying is not utilitarian, wouldn't it be a waste of ten or twenty years of life?

Therefore, reading must be utilitarian. Only when it is utilitarian can it be purposeful and targeted. This kind of reading is efficient and rewarding. Especially now that the times are developing rapidly, only through continuous reading and learning, and continuous purposeful learning, can we keep up with the times.

Everyone’s energy and time are very limited, so targeted reading is no choice. Some entrepreneurs have discovered the business opportunities and developed related reading business models.

For example, reading clubs are a business model that helps you study. The purpose is to select books, spend less time picking out the best parts of a book, and share it with subscribers. This is the best proof of the utilitarianism of reading.

If you are worried that you have no time to study, then asking someone to help you study is a good choice to save time and life.

These are all utilitarian choices.

02

Counter: I read because I enjoy it.

Uncle Dongguan Library left a message. In the past, his greatest pleasure besides going to work was visiting the library. He discovered a new pleasure in ordinary life, which was reading.

Through reading, he not only gained the nutrients of knowledge, but also gained the joy of ordinary life. He did not think about changing his job or his life through reading. Reading allowed him to find the happiness of enjoying an ordinary life.

And many elite white-collar workers in big cities are mentally strained, running at high speed, and overwhelmed by mortgage loans, car loans, and wedding loans. I am high-spirited during the day, and break down in tears at night. Their happiness is far less than that of Uncle Wu. And it is precisely because of the low sense of happiness that we treat the people and things around us more utilitarianally, including reading, of course.

On the contrary, there are countless ordinary factory workers who like to read novels in their spare time, especially fantasy and immortal novels. Now with the help of technological devices, they also have the option of listening to novels. In this way, reading becomes more interesting.

For them, reading is a pastime. Reading is a way of relaxation and leisure, with the purpose of relieving work fatigue and relieving the pressure of life.

They read because they find the joy of reading.

03

The best choice: someone who specializes in art and also loves to read miscellaneous books.

You never know which book you read will be useful to you.

For professional books, you must read them, read them repeatedly, and read them thoroughly. For non-professional books, you can choose to read them for utilitarian purposes, or you can read them for leisure and leisure.

Ma Weidu once said that reading miscellaneous books outside your major is called reading. Many Western countries promote "general education" with the purpose of cultivating highly comprehensive talents. The selection of textbooks for general education is also similar to what Ma Weidu calls “miscellaneous books.” Because miscellaneous books can cultivate a person's divergent thinking to a certain extent, and divergent thinking is very important for technological innovation.

For example, the rich man Li Ka-shing maintains the habit of reading before going to bed every day. He not only reads management books, but also English and technology books. Because he always wants to keep pace with the times. He has a famous saying: Reading itself cannot increase your wealth, but it can increase your opportunities.

Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, read "Quantum Mechanics" to his newborn child. He said he hopes this will stimulate children's brain development. Let children have a unique and broad vision from an early age. The thinking of rich people is really strange.

Also, you will find that the top scorers in China’s past college entrance examinations do not just have a good grasp of textbook knowledge. Most of them have a very wide range of reading, and their rich reading has increased their breadth of vision. and depth of thought. They can be called the top scorers in the college entrance examination, and they have read a lot of non-utilitarian books.

Therefore, whether reading should be utilitarian cannot be generalized.

Whether it is utilitarian or not, you are happy if you can experience pleasure and inspiration from reading. The happiness you can feel is happiness. Just like the message man in the library, I enjoy reading what I love.