I can't speak for anyone else, but personally I really enjoy reading articles on interesting subjects - even if they have no bearing on my own life. That's why I love HN, because you can find interesting articles on subjects that you may otherwise never know anything about.

Knowledge is like fast always on broadband, or a good smartphone. When you don't have it, you have no idea what it can do for you. Once you have it, you wonder how you ever lived without it.