Stepping on others' stones...

Finally on Day 6 of the Reading Deprivation, some light breaks through...

I recently cut back on my Coke intake to help me lose a couple pounds. Once you only allow yourself one Coke a day, that one Coke tastes like the best damn Coke you've ever had. Likewise with reading. Giving it up for a week has definitely shown me, though I already had an inkling, just how much I value it. This past week I have noticed a decrease in my thought, which made me realize how many of my thoughts are born of others' thoughts. It reminds me of Gwen Stefani. Whenever people praise her music or fashion, she responds by saying that she stole it. She always claims that she steals ideas from the greats and just tweaks them in her own way. This I have found is what I do with reading. It's not so much stealing, but almost as if one thought begets another which begets another which begets another. So I build my thoughts off of other people's, which allows thought to grow and multiply.

I am lucky enough to have people in my life who question me. Like my friend Cara. She commented on my post yesterday and forced me to call into question the reason I was undertaking this deprivation project in the first place. After reading her thoughts, my own thoughts began to flow. And the answer that resulted was this: I am pursuing this deprivation project because I am putting my faith in the experience of the author who recommended it. I trust her because of the power of her previous insights. Therefore, I am willing to embark on this uncomfortable, sometimes unbearable, undertaking. Even when I was tempted to quit, my faith was so strong, that I kept it up. This does not mean that my journey will necessarily end with success. I am quite aware of the fact that this particular exercise may not be for me. Perhaps not now, or ever. But I am willing to take that risk for the possible benefit, which is also unclear. Maybe I will become a better writer somehow or a better person. I don't know. But I am willing to take different routes cut out by those before me, if just for the scenery.

I caught the tail end of Mona Lisa Smile today, the girl version of Dead Poet's Society. In it, a female teacher calls into question many of the cultural beliefs and attitudes that defined the 1950's woman. The credits are accompanied by video of the Mrs. America contest, in which married women compete in such categories as vacuuming and making beds. Today these scenes come across as nauseating. We all- the majority at least- would now say that independence is an obvious right for women, just as it is for men. But back then, only 50 or so years ago, this view was ludicrous. How many times have new thoughts wreaked havoc, only to be accepted by later generations as obvious? Need I reiterate the old world is flat parable? How many times must this chain of events play out before people stop being so afraid of new ideas?

If this particular author has had success with this particular exercise, I'm gonna give it a try. Not berate the person because I think her idea will cause me temporary discomfort. Not call her the anti-Christ because her view might challenge one I have held for years. Not laugh at her when it doesn't work out the way she or I expected. We teach our children to respect their elders all the time due to their experience. We teach our children if at first they don't succeed, try, try again. Why shouldn't we as adults be a living example? I for one chose to put my faith in people, not ideas. So if I try an idea and it doesn't work, you'll find me plowing my way through a new one, questioning myself with every step.


Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”