So, right now, I'm sitting in class and thanking God for whoever invented my phone. I completely forgot that I had a blog due until, well, a few minutes ago.
Then, I couldn't think of what to write about. I thought about making more comments on "Under The Dome" (because I truly miss reading that book), but everything in that book is depressing. Then I thought, "Most things we read are depressing."
Why is that? Why are we so attracted to the gloom in doom, the drab and droll? Naturally, humans pay close attention to the "bad" in order to prepare for conflict; it is our instinctive defense. But why do we rejoice in others' pain?
Maybe the safety of a book also prepares us. Our pain in reality is sharp and precise; the kindness of literature's atrocities is that we can close it at any time. Trauma is always detailed: you remember every bit of bitterness, every heartache, every headache, every tearshed... you savor it. If we first live our disappointments through our favorite characters, the piercing sting of reality fades to a dull ache. There is comfort in knowing you are not alone, and it is only human nature to seek comfort.
"Books are humanity in print." --Barbara W. Tuchman
Funny how long a blog feels when you have to hold your keyboard.
ReplyDelete"there is comfort in knowing you are not alone, and it is only human to seek comfort."
ReplyDelete- profound! well done, Taylor.
You have such deep thoughts! It inspires me :)
ReplyDeleteagreed books are our escape from the harsh reality of real lives. Very insightful and fun to read.
ReplyDelete