OP. Do yourself a favor. Read Marx. Not because you’re going to believe the writings, but because it will make you a more interesting person (don’t take that as an insult, it’s not).

He’s a economist, like Adam Smith, Ricardo, or Mill. Not some crazy revolutionary like Lenin that everyone has made him out to be. He just has a different take than the classical economic perspective. It’s pretty healthy to challenge the status quo from time to time.

Some of it you may surprise yourself and agree with, while a lot you may not. That’s fine. I read his work decades ago, I don’t remember a lot of it. But it made my understanding of classical economics substantially better. It also made my relationship with modern life a lot different than it would have been otherwise.

Just like I’m not religious, but I’ve read the Bible, the Tora, several sections of the Koran, and several other religious beliefs stories and poems to find a better understanding cultural identities and beliefs. I don’t want to practice any of these religions, just like I don’t plan on preaching Marx anytime soon, but understanding them helps understanding the world and your own values.