weston

A Note from the Editor

"There was a silly damn bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up. He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang out of the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we're doing the same thing, over and over, but we've got one damn thing the phoenix never had. We know the damn silly thing we just did. We know all the damn silly things we've done for a thousand years and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, someday we'll stop making the goddamn funeral pyres and jumping in the middle of them."

Text, a Most Under Appreciated Art Form

I'm sometimes amazed at how my generation despises books and text. Maybe it's just a byproduct of today's world. Endless amounts of information easily obtained with a few key strokes, living on the go, constantly making things easier to get, rather, making it faster to obtain things.

Today's world doesn't have time for books. Siting still in this world that is constantly moving is looked down upon. Why read something when someone is willing to do it for you? Why read a chapter when you can read a few lines of a summary?

Now, don't get me wrong. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all for high-speed information. The problem I have with technology is that for all its wonders, it is making us extremely lazy. We are at a point in which the simple task of communication is dumbed down and shortened. It is too much work to write small statements, so these phrases become simple letters, brb, lol, ttyl. Entire emotional states described in a simple emoticon. Like the rest of the world, I am guilty of this as well.

It is a sad day indeed when Man can barely muster up the energy to even communicate with one another. People are not solitary creatures. We need interaction. We need community. Despite attempts, such things cannot be fully created with technology. There was a time when people werent afraid to talk. There was a time when people had the time to talk. When people had the time to think.

As much as I love television and films, I always find them lacking. There is one thing they can never recreate. It is called imagination. We all have one. But sadly, we seem to use it less and less as the years pass us by. Images are forced upon us. We know what the character looks like. We know what the world around them looks like. We know how the characters move. We can tell exactly what a character is thinking just by glancing at his/her/its face.

Thats the great thing about books. They give you the story, but it is up to you, the reader, to create the world.

And let us not forget, words can be incredibly powerful tools. They convey our ideas in a way our voices never can. It was people and ideas that began the creation of this country of ours. But it was the written word that started our war for independence; We the people Has there ever been more powerful words in a more powerful document? Think about it. We the people. These words started a war, a war that resulted in the creation of America. We the people. Think about all the people this encompasses.

Are you starting to understand now?

There is a man, a woman, a human being, behind every word that has ever been written. A story is a look into the deepest reaches of an authors soul. Stories, books, poems, essays, they can all reveal wonders about the person who holds the pen. Their words encompass their emotions, their thoughts and opinions, their beliefs. They can take us into the past, into the future, into far off worlds. But their words always have some trace of truth to them, revealing the authors secrets.

Unlike a television show or a movie, a book is never experienced the same way by any two people. We bring our own experiences, thoughts, and emotions to the tale. We arent fed images; we create them on our own. Each vision of a character or setting is unique. The depth of emotion that can be felt through words is unfathomable. You see the world in two perspectives; that from the characters eyes, and that from the characters mind. You know exactly what the character is going through, what they are thinking and feeling. And in turn, those thoughts and feelings become your own.

Books make you think. Sometimes I believe we, as a society, are afraid to think. Sometimes I feel that those with power dont want us to think. Books are our liberators. They inspire us. And those who have been touched by the power of the written word, in turn, write their own. We become the liberators of the future generations. Behind every word is an idea, and ideas never die.

You dont Have to Burn Books to Destroy a Culture. Just Get People to Stop Reading Them.

I have been reading quite a bit lately. In fact, more than I have in years. I started and finished Fahrenheit 451 today. Another short read (Finished in a handful of hours), but Ill be damned if it hasnt got me thinking. It was that book which inspired me to write the above section.

A very interesting read, and I would definitely recommend it to those of you who havent read it yet. There was a section at the end of the book, in which he talked about the adaptation of the book to the stage. I would also recommend reading that as well. They changed the story a bit, and it gives you a greater understanding of the some of the characters, and also adds a somewhat happier ending. The book gets you thinking about the world around you.

Strange, that a book published some fifty plus years ago can seem so relevant in todays world. Books are a dying source of entertainment and enlightenment; replaced with television, video games, the internet, and a high paced lifestyle. We are hand fed lies and exaggerations, and we soak them up like sponges. We are molded into thinking alike. Never given the full story, and not wanting to waste time researching topics, we come to a conclusion that is not our own, but it is the only conclusion that we know, and so we accept it.

What I am saying is, take some time out of your schedule and consider the world around you. Read a book, read an essay, read an article. Read the views and ideas of others. Research topics of debate and discussion. I dont care if you agree or disagree with me; I dont care if you side with the majority or the minority. What I care about is that youve considered the topic and have developed your own opinion on the matter. What I care about is that you are an individual.

The Wrap-Up

I have more to write about. There is always more to write about. So much more. But I do not wish to do this update an injustice. And so I will leave these other topics for my next update, perhaps. I shall let these words stand as they are; bold, empowered, and while influenced by the thoughts of others, these words, most importantly, are my own.

Think about what I have said, and please do consider the world that you live in.

Until next time, I wish you all the best. Take care.

Current Mood: Curious and thoughtful
Currently Listening to: "Seventeen - Ladytron
Currently Watching: Well, not quite "currently watching," but I can't get enough of: Smallville, Miami Ink, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Made, True Life
Currently Playing: Counter-Strike: Source ([p]X | Phoenix, [p]X | You Is Nasty, or [p]X | Beware the Khaak), World of Warcraft (PXAnime on Kel'Thuzad, Sandtiger on Akama), Battlefield 2 (=Superman=KalEl or =PXConqueror=), Warcraft III (PX_Conqueror)
Currently Reading: Soon to start Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
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