Thursday, June 2, 2011

You won't read everything out there that's worth reading...

... or watch everything worth watching, or go to every place you've dreamed of visiting.

An interesting article on how people choose what to do with their limited time, and their attitudes towards the books, movies, and general experiences they'll need to leave untouched.
If "well-read" means "not missing anything," then nobody has a chance. If "well-read" means "making a genuine effort to explore thoughtfully," then yes, we can all be well-read. But what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that.

* Found via Arts & Letters Daily.