Artist In Residence
Remember that sci-fi novel from back in the day called Farenheit 451? It was about a time in the not so distant future when the State would burn books in an effort to control thought. There was a time when such an idea might have seemed plausible, but certainly not now. There’s no need to burn something that has no value.
How did society get to such a point where a book is like creamed spinach, something gross but good for you, something to be avoided at all cost? In a recent blog, I blasted the educational system for turning students into robots. Let me get out my trusty shotgun once more. The educational system has absolutely turned people off of books. That’s because students are routinely forced to read books that don’t interest or engage them. As a result, they end up viewing all books in the same negative light. But in all fairness, the educational isn’t the only villain in this sad tale. Reading requires active involvement unlike television and films which require virtually no involvement at all. Can Dickens or Hemingway really compete with Survivor or American Idol? Who wants creamed spinach when you can have hot dogs and fries?
Regardless of what a person is into… art, sports, voodoo, whatever, there’s a book out there that will provide a deeper understanding of that subject. The right book is a door. If you open it, you can enter an entirely new world filled with knowledge and valuable insights. Books can literally transform thought and lives. People that don’t read are… for all intents and purposes… basically illiterate. And an illiterate person is more easily controlled. Rather than actively gaining perspectives that come from a wide variety of books, illiterate people passively accept the information coming from far fewer sources.
So, boys and girls, if you want to grow up to be big and strong, eat your spinach.