If you didn't do any of this, you would be just fine, happy even.

This is entertainment. You can enjoy a random movie without watching the IMDB top 100 first. You can live without a deep understanding of the Afghan wars. You don't need to have an opinion on the latest AI trend.

My reading list is a wishlist. When I have time, I pick something interesting from it. I don't feel any obligation to finish it, or even to keep it from growing. It's an act of curation, not aggregation.