Personality

@mahgister 

Sounds like we persue very similar interests in very different ways. I have ADHD and as such seldom dive in a single direction deeply, I paint my increasingly large sphere of knowledge across disciplines, then layer after layer. I find rereading classic literature each time brings far deeper understaffing. Sounds like you may get it the first time. 

Even when working I was full time learning. As an exectutive I had an opportunity to work with and understand  people and cultures from all over the world. Work with them to solve highly technical and social problems. To me this was fun for the outcome and in learning about consciousness and the  interaction among humans. Behind this scenes when I could reading about consciousness... and chaos theory, astrophysics... because that was my first love. Fortunately the cost of books are not a problem for me. While not rich, I am financially able to support my curiosity. 

Now being retired I have virtual all my time to learn, so I do. In a way even participating in th forum is a way to learn. I get to apply my knowledge to new problems and examine them from different directions. 

@larsman 

OK, I am jealous that you can read War and Peace and want for more. I took runs at War and Peace over and over... probably couple times every decade and just couldn't get past the first chapter. But I have a terrible memory, so I could not keep the names straight... so that is probably it. I could not put down The Rise and the Fall of the Third Reich and Lord of the Rings when I was around 16 or 17. So, it depends on the content. Must be a limitation of my brain. Well, I'm jealous. 

@mahgister 

Thanks for the tips on books. I'll put them on my list. I read Dostoevsky's The Idiot a few months ago... that brought a smile to my face. 

@ghdprentice - I know what you mean about the names, especially as half of them are French! I'd never known about the Russian aspirations to be French before I read that. To me, the story was like a good extended soap opera.

Did have a re-read of William Shirer's masterpiece a few years ago; I'd first read it as a teenager in the 60's. 

@mahgister - 'The Idiot' was great. I could also highly recommend the Brothers Karamazov (my favorite of his) and 'Crime and Punishment'. 

Dosztojevszkij is a delight, despite all the darkness. Somehow he still makes it humane and optimistic and compassionate, that's the magic. 

I read all your posts because  they are interesting...

Thanks for your patience and kindness...

Dont forget to read Kleist  "puppets theater" few pages describing in a nutshell all consciousness history of the world ...

Goethe was astounded by Kleist genius when he meet him.... That say a lot...

Add Kleist to Dostoievski " the dream of a ridiculous man" perhaps the deepest metaphysical piece ever written by Dostoievski...

I cannot even remember any other text rivalling these two together ....Even Kafka,Borges, or any other fall short...After all who can write an explanation for all our consciousness history in few pages ? 

The only book rivalling them is Julian Jaynes: The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. I read it in 1976.

By the way it is one of the rare thinker able to explain the seemingly opposite view of Kleist and Dostoievski in their two masterpieces...

 And i dont have any problem with books or music since i own a computer ... I am very resourceful if i need to ....

A book matter as much as bread...In some case more ...

@mahgister 

Sounds like we persue very similar interests in very different ways. I have ADHD and as such seldom dive in a single direction deeply, I paint my increasingly large sphere of knowledge across disciplines, then layer after layer. I find rereading classic literature each time brings far deeper understaffing. Sounds like you may get it the first time. 

Even when working I was full time learning. As an exectutive I had an opportunity to work with and understand  people and cultures from all over the world. Work with them to solve highly technical and social problems. To me this was fun for the outcome and in learning about consciousness and the  interaction among humans. Behind this scenes when I could reading about consciousness... and chaos theory, astrophysics... because that was my first love. Fortunately the cost of books are not a problem for me. While not rich, I am financially able to support my curiosity. 

Now being retired I have virtual all my time to learn, so I do. In a way even participating in th forum is a way to learn. I get to apply my knowledge to new problems and examine them from different directions.