[proc0]

First the readability is an issue of the language not having FP as first class and also lacking the underlying concepts will prevent you from seeing the patterns.

The best metaphor I can think of... imagine a Rube Goldberg machine that works with water. The water starts on one side and moves through a bunch of contraptions, switches, and does a bunch of things at the same time, quite messy but it works. This is your typical programming experience. FP is like doing this but with pipes instead. You build all your pipes, then the water is sealed tight and the flow is controlled nicely.

That said, FP has strengths and weaknesses, but overall I would say it is definitely a superior paradigm, aside from the considerable learning curve and performance drawbacks.