> For example, doing math is a useful skill, not a meaningless task. I can't define trig relations, I sort of remember how to do multiple unknowns/linear algeb

> For example, doing math is a useful skill, not a meaningless task. I can't define trig relations, I sort of remember how to do multiple unknowns/linear algebra, can't even remember the definition of a quadratic equation and I couldn't do derivations if my life depended on it. Funny thing is I used to know this stuff and actually used some of it when I was in to game dev. 10 years later anything that's above elementary school I'd probably need to Google or Wolfram. > There are tons of literary references in everyday communication and you will be at a disadvantage if you don't know them (a "Scarlet Letter", "Big Brother", etc.) You can look up idioms/references without reading the works.