What Do You See?

This image was taken in far western New Mexico just off of U.S. Highway 60 back in 2010.  I noticed what looked to be a cave off to the south and stopped to get a photograph only to discover that it wasn't a cave, but an arch.  When I looked at the image this morning, I saw something completely different.  I saw R2D2.

I'm not sure what he is dragging along behind him, but that's definitely R2D2 on the left.  For the two of you out there who might not know, R2D2 is a robot from the Star Wars series.  He speaks in high-pitched beeps and whistles and is in charge of navigation on Luke's fighter -- along with many other duties such as carrying stolen Death Star plans and crucial maps of the Universe.  He has even been known to produce other items out of a hidden compartment, such as Luke's light-saber, at critical moments.

I am definitely a Star Wars fan, but my wife is a fanatic.  I suspect she can quote the script of every character in every one of the movies -- not only quote them, but her timing on them is impeccable.  I may know the gist of what is coming, but she speaks the words as they are spoken in the scene as it plays out in front of you.

There are many who do not care for Science Fiction, but it is my favorite genre of fiction.  It is where we can delve into societal issues in an imaginative world of the future.  Sometimes the creative vision of the author plays out and at other times it doesn't -- I'm thinking Jules Verne.  Science Fiction has been around for a long time.

What are your favorite Science Fiction books?  Your comments would be appreciated.  My favorite is probably "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein.  I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but it is one that will definitely get you to thinking.  I look forward to your lists!

Reading, Experience and Reality

One of the things that frustrates me most about aging is that I can't read for very long at a time because my eyes get to bothering me.  I suspect it is at least partially because I spend too many hours looking at a computer screen -- either large or hand-held -- and they are already strained.

It is growing clear to me that I will never be able to read all the books I want to read before I am gone from this earth.  I hope one of the things available in heaven is a library of all the world's literature and that we will be able to read in the original language.  I guess that really won't be necessary since our knowledge will be perfected and much of what we think we know will likely be completely incorrect.

That's another thing that is somewhat frustrating.  As I age, I realize there are many things I thought I knew about which my thinking was incorrect.  The longer I live and am exposed to different experiences, the more I realize that my limited experience limited my understanding.  What were once certainties are now often surrounded by doubt.

Part of that changed understanding is from reading the books I mentioned.  More of it is a result of meeting and talking to people who have had different experiences than have I.  It is amazing to me how we each see things differently and react differently to the things that happen in our life.  Is reality actually a function of perception?  I ask that because reality to each of us is different and it is based in our perceptions.

I sometimes wonder if we are living in some artificially induced reality that we perceive as existence when instead, the universe is something totally different and we are being manipulated in our beliefs and perceptions by some unseen force that has us plugged into a mind-manipulating apparatus -- much like in the movie "The Matrix."  Doesn't it sometimes seem like what is happening around is completely unreal at times?  How do you explain deja vu?  How is it that we sometimes feel connections to people who are hundreds of miles away and are thinking about them  just before they call?

It's no wonder I doubt what I think I know -- it is easier to think clearly without clutter.  Maybe I shouldn't read so much??

Turn Off the Television

Most people like to watch t.v.
As they sit in their easy chair.
Me, I prefer to read a book
Rather than sit and stare
At the mindless chatter
On some flat screen
Across the living room
Where we see an interpretation
Of someone else's thoughts
In a somewhat voyeuristic manner
Instead of allowing our own
Imagination to create the images.

A book stimulates your mind
To think of that contained
In the written word you hold
Yet gives freedom to build
From that which is seen
In the deep recesses
Of the gray matter
Between your ears
Whereas the flat screen
Across the room allows
Little space for linking
Thoughts as you merely
Record the scenes before you.

Let my thoughts wander;
Set them free;
Give rein to imagination;
Turn off the television;
Pick up a book
And travel to distant places
Where rest and solitude
Are filled with adventure
And the cares of the world
Fade away.

Let the Debate Continue

It was a dark and stormy night...

It is a dark and stormy night...

It's still a dark and stormy night...

From out of the dark and stormy night...

No wonder Snoopy could never get past the first line. The wind and rain and lightning are too distracting!

Growing up, the breakfast table was one place we all managed to be at the same time. Dad always had the newspaper and we waited until he was through with a section before we read it. Of course, there was only one section in my mind for many years. The Comics. I always read the Comics to start my day. The newspaper was the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. During the week, the Comics were black and white and then Sunday was color. Charlie Brown was one of my favorites. In reality, I liked them all except the "soap opera" ones like Mary Worth (I think).

As I grew older, I started reading the news sections. Dad challenged me one morning in Jr. High. He started asking "what do you think about...." questions. If I didn't have an opinion (which I didn't) he'd say, "If you don't know what you think, who does?" "If you don't form your own opinion, someone else will form it for you." So, I started reading the news and becoming informed. That way, when he asked me what I thought about something I would at least know what he was talking about.

Reading the newspaper became a habit with me. After I moved away from home and went to college, I subscribed to a newspaper. I became a news junkie. If I didn't get my newspaper "fix" each morning, my whole day was ruined.

Sometime in my 30's I quit reading the newspaper. I became completely disenchanted with all media. I felt that the stories were slanted. I still do. I felt as though I was allowing someone with wrong-headed ideas force feed me the news they wanted me to know so that I would think like they did. I still do.

A few years back I started back to reading the news again and listening to Fox News Channel. I read the news on the Internet. I don't subscribe to a physical paper anymore. I also have learned to read and listen much more critically than before.

Blogging has added a new dimension to the news. It is a way to voice, and by reading other blogs, to read a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints of newsworthy (and not so worthy) events. Many times it can become a truly informative and useful exchange of ideas and information. Many times though, it is merely a platform for ranting about a particular pet peeve. I enjoy the exchange of ideas. I've always loved a good debate.

Reading

I like to read. I enjoy many different kinds of books. My "library" includes a lot of biographies, history -- particularly U.S. history -- fiction, science fiction, classics, Christian apologetics and inspirational, business, and numerous unclassifiable books.

At times I will pick one book and stay with it until I have read it entirely. At other times, I may have as many as 6 or 7 books going concurrently. Usually if I have multiple books going at a time, they are of a wide variety. If I am working through one of the heavier tomes, such as William James' Introduction to Psychology, I will have something lighter going as well -- perhaps a Clive Cussler novel.

I was taught at a very early age that if you can read, you can do just about anything. Reading is the key that unlocks knowledge in every field of endeavor. Whether you are learning to cook, operate a computer, repair an engine, or raise livestock, reading can help you to get there.

Some years ago I read a book by Louis L'Amour which was somewhat autobiographical in which he stated that he kept a journal of the books that he read. I began keeping a list (to call it a journal would be to exaggerate) of books that I compete. My list is now several hundred entries long with very few repeats. It is interesting to look back and see the wide variety of books on the list. It is also easy to pick out my favorite authors because their names are frequently repeated. Some of the favorites would be Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Robert Utley, Tony Hillerman, and Jean LeCarre. All but Robert Utley in that list are fiction writers. However, when you look at the number of books in various categories on my list, fiction accounts for less than one-half of the entries.

I'm happy that my children are readers as well. I believe it is one of the reasons that they have excelled in school. I also believe it is a critical foundation upon which they can build for the future.