There's been a lot of discussion about how nobody reads anymore. That's not surprising. With TV's, computers, and assorted handheld devices, who has the time or the inclination? You actually have to sit still and engage your imagination to read. And I wonder sometimes if in our efforts to educate our children from the time they open their eyes, we haven't stolen that gift of imagination from them.
When is the last time you saw a child lying on the ground and counting elephants and castles in the clouds? Or playing in a pile of dirt and building roads and mountains? Childhood is when our imaginations take flight. Everything is new and wonderful and exciting. The senses are all engaged at hyper-speed to see how everything tastes and feels. What color is the world and what sound does it make when it breathes? Sticking a child in front of TV robs him of all that adventure.
Putting a book in a child's hand is all about his imagination. He can feel the pages, smell the ink, hear the words, and his mind can soar with those colorful characters that decorate the pages. Give a child a book and he can find his own mind. Set him in front of a TV and he's using someone else's mind to see the world.
Books put a child into another world, the world of his imagination. And what greater gift can you give a person than the gift of his own mind?
Today's quote comes from Jack London
"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
Today's zine is a flash fiction site, they're also running a contest if anyone is interested. Lots of fun horror stories in the archives from authors many of you know. http://www.microhorror.com/microhorror
2 comments:
I think you are right on target. It's far too easy for kids to get caught up in the world of TV/movies and it's sad to see their imagination wither. It's so much better to get lost in a book and build the mind's creativity. I can still see The Hardy Boy's books I read 30 years ago. Each had only four or five black and white illustrations, but I had no trouble imagining every adventure as it unfolded.
I'm always amazed when parents just pop in a video instead of handing their kids paper and crayons or books to get them quiet.
My grandsons love to draw and the youngest one can spin a story that makes the truth look a rubber band. They're great fun.
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