Reading - Where Dreams Come True
"Fairy tales can come true. It can happen to you ..."
Hey, ever want to read a book and just relax on a tropical beach? Ever dream about it? Man, I sure did. Trouble was from the time I was little kid, I was poor. NO money.
I grew up in a time where as kids we found other worlds, adventure, mystery, love, and yes, DANGER! in where? Books. Oh sure, we had fading radio serials like "The Shadow", the occasional movie night out with the folks, B Grade TV westerns out the wazoo, and good old Walt Disney. Yet the true flights of fancy, enlightenment, and all around "See yourself as the hero/heroine" came from ... Books.
In books I traveled the corridors of time from ages past to far futures. I traveled the stars, sailed the seas, explored jungles, climbed mountains, and discovered telepathy or telekinesis. In books I dueled bad guys, fought for justice, followed the dogs of war, rode the Black stallion, won a fair maiden's heart, and hunted the wildernesses with Big Red. I also learned practical stuff; stuff I would need as an adult with kids of my own. Cooking, Ironing, Cleaning. Baseball. You know, the basics.
I also learned good from evil. I learned how people of all races and genders should and shouldn't interact. I learned about the marvelous and mind boggling universe we live in. I learned the wonders of nature, the history of Man, and the rise and fall of empires. I learned about the dark sides of human souls, crime, and corruption. I learned about the Creator who loves me. And I learned that personal dreams can come true. From authors.
I had all the usual socializing and challenges one gets from family, friends, school, church, work, and the everyday humdrum of life in general. But the lifelong dreams? Those came from books. And the Authors who wrote them with one dream in particular.
From childhood I was enamored with tales of the South Seas. Reading, I imagined heavy surf pounding upon white sandy beaches, palm trees swaying in tropical breezes, sailing on warm peaceful days, and watching the sun rise and set out over the ocean. Yes, you can see that electronically in real time all you want now, but back then? Other than being drafted and sent to war, it was like going to the moon for a kid like me.
Except I never forgot it, I worked hard, and one day 40 some years later, my childhood dreams of actually being on a tropical beach in the South Seas came true. I, and my Father, had made it happen. It was a heady moment I have treasured ever since and every time I go back.
Therein lies the point of this little blurb. I posit authors have a much more far reaching responsibility to next generations than just simple education, entertainment, and enlightenment. They spawn dreams. Dreams of Adventure. Dreams of Travel. Dreams of Love. Dreams of Justice, Hope, a Better World, and yes, greater Faith.
There's a lot of written and visual cheap crap out there nowadays, mind numbing, useless clicking pap too. Stuff to just basically pass and waste time until the grave claims us all. Movies. TV. Internet. Pulp. Games. A lot of crass, soul rotting, narcissistic garbage touting mindless sex, crime, drugs, violence, and endless money grubbing viciousness. Like I say, crap.
But a good book? Well written? By a good author? One that spawns lifelong dreams in some kid? Dreams that can challenge the mind and soul? And maybe, just maybe, someday those fairy tales can come true. Inspiring. That's the kind of author I want to be. You?
"Another young reader ... looking for big dreams"
