When I was in 10th grade, my global studies teacher, Mr. Gustafson, said “read everything you can get your hands on.” So, I did. I was already off to a good start before that, but I pretty much read everything–labels on the products in my drawers, reports that no one else reads, news, books that have been long forgotten, all of it.

Reading has served me well, and for the past 35 years, I’ve always had some affiliation with the publishing industry. I’ve worked in libraries, for booksellers, publishers, graphic designers, and I’ve authored a fair number of books too.

After reading this exquisite piece by Elle Griffin https://www.elysian.press/p/no-one-buys-books?utm_source=DenseDiscovery-298, I simply can’t shake the fact that no one really reads anymore. People read pulp, or garbage that is “written” by celebrities (who are effectively marketing themselves to us in written form), and beyond that, most of it is just fodder.

When I reflect on what I’ve read and what I’ve learned through reading, I can’t help but feel a little sad: reading has helped me to be a keen identifier of problems, but the solutions are few. It has brought me to a point of existential crisis… what’s the point of all of it?

When I couple that with all the falderal going on in politics at the moment (and the fact that we’re blatantly getting lied to by all parties), it also brings me to a point of existential crisis… what’s the point of all of it?

Two parallel thoughts with the same point of arrival.