More on my theory

Last post I wrote about a theory I have concerning my decision to pursue a career in science. I have decided that there's more to the story.

After rediscovering my interest in reading fiction, I have been devouring novels, as of late. I just finished reading "A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick. It is a wonderful read, but what really struck me was the way in which his words appeal so strongly to the senses. He manages to describe people and landscapes and, yes, even food, with utter sensuality. That got me thinking.

Given that starvation numbs the senses, of course I lost an interest in reading when I had anorexia! Even the most eloquent writing could not appeal to my senses and coax me out of my anorexic stupor. I remember thinking, what would motivate people to read novels? Also, I could not, for the life of me, understand how reading could have been one of my greatest joys. That is because the words fell on dead ears...and eyes and nose, etc.

Now that I am fully fed and the healthiest I have been in years, I get it. I understand the appeal of great fiction, and I understand why I could not enjoy it when I was anorexic. I understand that science was attractive to me because it required me using the part of my brain that was still functioning. Reading seemed pointless and inane; science had a point and made sense to me. I only had to focus on data and facts, and I could be perfectly numb doing it. Reading and writing required me to be alive.