Books are
timeless. What was written yesterday is
often still an explanation for today.
I went to the library and picked up Little
Scarlet, from Walter Mosley’s
Easy Rawlins' series. It takes place in
1965, in the time of the Los Angeles riots.
Mosley explains, through Easy Rawlins, the feelings of that time that
sparked the riots; that same feeling seems to be the motivate of the Black
Lives Matter movement. Times change,
but social issues don’t change.
I don’t
often read westerns; but for some reason I picked up the first of a four-part series,
Sin Killer, by Larry McMurtry
who wrote Lonesome Dove. The
story is about a wealthy English aristocratic family chartering a hunting
vacation in the American west during the Indian wars of the 1830’s. Every member of this family is so self-absorbed
and feels so privileged and superior that you don’t actually feel sorry for the
loses and hardships they bring upon themselves.
As I read it I can very easily replace Lord Berrybender and his family
with Donald Trump and his family.
I expect
that the people alive today will probably be the last book readers. It seems likely that future generations will
receive their news and stories solely via video; that books and periodicals will
be considered passé. Information, stories and history will have to
be formatted in 3-d, virtual reality and holograms in order to keep people’s
attention.
To me,
reading is a quiet and contemplative endeavor; it activates the imagination
portion of the brain and places you as an observer in a story. As such, imagination is a requirement for
reading enjoyment.
When I was
young I could take half a dozen toy soldiers, go outside, construct forts, imagine
scenarios and entertain myself for hours.
I built many of my toys and often occupied an imaginary world.
Today’s
children are raised in front of a TV. As
soon as they are old enough to understand cause and effect parents switch them
to computers. By pre-teen they have
been grafted a new appendage called cell phone. A day without a cellphone would be like an
amputation. These children will probably
not be readers – except perhaps on-line.
It begs the
question whether these children, constantly entertained by technology, will
develop the area of the brain that allows imagination. It is an evolutionary trait that
if you do not use a function of your physical or mental facility, over
generations, you lose it.
We live in a
college town; we constantly frequent the library; I observe very few children
reading or being encouraged to read.
When I see students with reading material they are usually wearing ear
buds.
Where am I
going with this? Hell I don’t know. I’m
old – I am expected to ramble. That’s
my story and I am sticking to it.
the Ol’Buzzard
