Sometimes while I am reading, I run across an interesting sentence or even phrase that jumps out to grab my attention. This often will happen even in article or books that have no special meaning to me. This happened in a recent article I was reading in The Chronicle of Higher Education. I read this weekly education publication to stay current with the themes and trends in higher education. The piece had to do with the teaching of humanities and, particularly, the state of literature in our colleges and in our culture. So this is not exactly in my own field, but I am nevertheless interested.
Of course human beings have been reading and writing for a long time. Writing has served multiple purposes. Sometimes it is for spiritual or philosophical edification. It is easy to think about the sacred writings in the many different religious traditions. All the major religious traditions have their sacred scriptures. And even in many Christian denominations, there are particular writings that serve to ground and inform the adherents to those traditions. It is certainly true for my own Quaker tradition.
The article I was reading talked specifically about the role literature played in American culture. It assumed a particular feature after WW II. We all know about the important role communism played after the Great War. I grew up in that period known as the Cold War. The Russians and Americans were racing to put rockets and, even, people in space. Propaganda flowed from both sides, although of course as a boy I understood the Russian story to be propaganda and the American narrative was truth!
The author I was reading then made an interesting note about the mid-twentieth century role of literature. He said, “The midcentury notion of literature as antidote to propaganda,” was a key feature in English departments and literature. It never would have occurred to me to see the writing in the mid-twentieth century in some way as an antidote to propaganda. As interesting as this notion is, it was the next part of that article that jumped out at me.
The author says this notion of literature as an antidote to propaganda “gave way to the 21st century embrace of cyberspace as the happy playground of the times.” The idea of cyberspace as a playground of our times struck me as graphically descriptive and accurate. And most of the time it is a “happy playground.” I would like to pursue this to the very different role of literature as spiritual edification or even sacred writings.
No doubt, the best way to see folks today head to the happy playground of cyberspace is to watch them on their phones. Gone are the days when the phones hung on the wall. I still have a phone on my desk at work, but probably can count the weekly phone calls that come on one or two hands. Instead, we whip out the cell phone from our pockets. Most of the time, however, the phones are not being used to make calls. Instead we are checking email or, more likely, surfing the internet. That is an interesting metaphor we use. We “surf” the internet. Most of us have never surfed in our lives!
But it is an apt metaphor. Surfing is something that is done for leisure. Surfing connotes a happy-go-lucky life. We are at the ocean. Even to be at the ocean suggests a carefree, non-work place. To be surfing is to be at play in an oceanic playground. Nothing serious happens on that playground.
Cyberspace is just such an ocean. Seemingly it is endless. You can jump on board wherever you are and cruise around. There is no destination, no discipline---just float around. In some way, there is no point. You just ride around enjoying whatever comes along. It is not purposeful. Sadly, that surfing metaphor comes to describe too many of our lives. We are alive, but there is no point---no purpose. Cyberspace is the happy playground of our times. We enter the playground by simply pulling out the phone and tapping away. It is soul-killing, mind-numbing, and addictive.
If we return to literature, we have to shift images. No one confuses great literature with a happy playground. Great stories can become laboratories for us to work out our own sense of identity and to be called into our quest for meaning and purpose. Sacred literature inspires us to live good lives---indeed to become great by letting go of ego and serving a higher purpose.
It is difficult to surf great literature. Instead it calls for commitment, discipline and persistence to get through noble thoughts and deeper insights. The reward is not always happiness. It is likely to be more in line with acquired wisdom startling insights into the deeper nature of things.
I appreciate being reminded of something I know, but all too easily forget. I am sure I will continue to be an occasional surfer of the internet. But I dearly want to continue immersing myself in good literature. It should never become surfing or Shakespeare!
Of course human beings have been reading and writing for a long time. Writing has served multiple purposes. Sometimes it is for spiritual or philosophical edification. It is easy to think about the sacred writings in the many different religious traditions. All the major religious traditions have their sacred scriptures. And even in many Christian denominations, there are particular writings that serve to ground and inform the adherents to those traditions. It is certainly true for my own Quaker tradition.
The article I was reading talked specifically about the role literature played in American culture. It assumed a particular feature after WW II. We all know about the important role communism played after the Great War. I grew up in that period known as the Cold War. The Russians and Americans were racing to put rockets and, even, people in space. Propaganda flowed from both sides, although of course as a boy I understood the Russian story to be propaganda and the American narrative was truth!
The author I was reading then made an interesting note about the mid-twentieth century role of literature. He said, “The midcentury notion of literature as antidote to propaganda,” was a key feature in English departments and literature. It never would have occurred to me to see the writing in the mid-twentieth century in some way as an antidote to propaganda. As interesting as this notion is, it was the next part of that article that jumped out at me.
The author says this notion of literature as an antidote to propaganda “gave way to the 21st century embrace of cyberspace as the happy playground of the times.” The idea of cyberspace as a playground of our times struck me as graphically descriptive and accurate. And most of the time it is a “happy playground.” I would like to pursue this to the very different role of literature as spiritual edification or even sacred writings.
No doubt, the best way to see folks today head to the happy playground of cyberspace is to watch them on their phones. Gone are the days when the phones hung on the wall. I still have a phone on my desk at work, but probably can count the weekly phone calls that come on one or two hands. Instead, we whip out the cell phone from our pockets. Most of the time, however, the phones are not being used to make calls. Instead we are checking email or, more likely, surfing the internet. That is an interesting metaphor we use. We “surf” the internet. Most of us have never surfed in our lives!
But it is an apt metaphor. Surfing is something that is done for leisure. Surfing connotes a happy-go-lucky life. We are at the ocean. Even to be at the ocean suggests a carefree, non-work place. To be surfing is to be at play in an oceanic playground. Nothing serious happens on that playground.
Cyberspace is just such an ocean. Seemingly it is endless. You can jump on board wherever you are and cruise around. There is no destination, no discipline---just float around. In some way, there is no point. You just ride around enjoying whatever comes along. It is not purposeful. Sadly, that surfing metaphor comes to describe too many of our lives. We are alive, but there is no point---no purpose. Cyberspace is the happy playground of our times. We enter the playground by simply pulling out the phone and tapping away. It is soul-killing, mind-numbing, and addictive.
If we return to literature, we have to shift images. No one confuses great literature with a happy playground. Great stories can become laboratories for us to work out our own sense of identity and to be called into our quest for meaning and purpose. Sacred literature inspires us to live good lives---indeed to become great by letting go of ego and serving a higher purpose.
It is difficult to surf great literature. Instead it calls for commitment, discipline and persistence to get through noble thoughts and deeper insights. The reward is not always happiness. It is likely to be more in line with acquired wisdom startling insights into the deeper nature of things.
I appreciate being reminded of something I know, but all too easily forget. I am sure I will continue to be an occasional surfer of the internet. But I dearly want to continue immersing myself in good literature. It should never become surfing or Shakespeare!
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