Ok, today I think we’ll start with an anecdote, because, y’know, anecdotes are interesting. I think.
Anyway. A couple of months ago I walked over to the local library, as is my custom, and I saw that they had bought a number of new books, mostly biographies, which, I think most people will agree, are not very interesting. I took a look around at the new books, took my pick of the new books and old, and headed back home.
Along the way I ran into a friend of mine, another bookoholic. I told him I’d just been to the library pause obviously, as I was holding a full bag of books. I mentioned that said library had acquired a large amount of new books. “Oh? Anything Interesting?,” queried he. “Not really, just a bunch of bibliographies, I responded.” Another awkward pause as he looks at me quizzically. “Umm, sorry, biographies, not bibliographies.” “Ah, I was wondering how you had books which were just bibliographies.” And we had a good laugh and then parted ways.
But that set me thinking (a rare and dangerous thing). What if people published bibliographies of their lives? Yeah, I know it sounds crazy and impossible, and in truth it probably is. And yet the concept - to write up which books influenced and caused major changes in your life, lifestyle, philosophy, and general mindset.
For most people this would be an impossible task, though perhaps they could write up movies and TV shows. But for that perfect specimen, the nerd (and I say that in all humility) pause for unbridled laughter, such a thing would be very possible, even if it’s not in any way plausible. Now for the young to middle aged, Harry Potter would likely show up high on the list - and J.K. Rowling does have a well deserved reputation. And yet - it’s so boring, so unoriginal.
I don’t know. I took to thinking about what my list would consist of. Obviously there would be the early greats in the field of fantasy - Tolkien, Lewis and the like, who showed me worlds to be built with such imagination. Tolkien stands strong in his vivid description and scenery, even if some would say he’s boring. And his poetry - quite superb, even if it were to stand alone. And Lewis helped invent the coming-of-age genre of story, who could forget the stories he made.
And then there are the masters of science fiction. Orson Scott Card, who had such a vivid imagination, though I would say I gained more from his Pathfinder series and its vivid explorings of the flexibility of time than I gained from Ender’s Game, a masterpiece in its own right. And then there was Asimov! (or rather, before there was Asimov). His explorations and inventions in both the field of science fiction and literature in general have shaped the world, as much as my own mindset.
And there are so many more! I could write on, and wax poetic - I could point out all the great things unmentioned - and yet. And yet - I’d imagine that such a book would be longer than any biography one could write about me, yet far more boring to those inexperienced in all the various books. But such a task would be a life’s work (pun semi-intended - I realized the pun as I typed those words). Such a task would be something nobody could accomplish but the subject… so I suppose it would be a sort of “Auto-bibliography.”
And even as I think on it, I see the futility of the task - though it may be useful for any self-proclaimed nerd to think on it, just to understand and clarify one’s own mindset.
But I think there’s so much more to be seen from this story - we see the value of simply thinking on every word - both after it leaves your mouth, and before. And the benefit of letting your imagination roam free - ’tis so much more than the dumb could imagine.
Well, looks like my time’s up, and not a moment too soon (though I have yet to think of why - maybe I’ll tell you later if I can think of it). Until next time -
Hyperbole out.
Random Words under post: As per usual, this was written freewrite-style, with nothing corrected more than 3 seconds after being typed (sorry, that's just instinctive). All pictures courtesy of pixabay.
