Reflections on Reading

My nephew Pete, is truly a remarkable guy. Bright, energentic with an interest in the classics (witness his blog Paladin's Pen)

It is while I was perusing his latest postings that my mind wandered to how rare it is nowadays to see children have such an interest, much less be exposed to them.

In a world now full of XBox's, Playstations, cable tv, computers (gaming and web)...reading especially a book, seems to be rare nowadays. Many of the stories (as Pete points out) were created to teach moral truths in a simple, effective way. Parents back in the old, old, old days usually had few books in their possessions, and those were highly prized. You would always nearly find a well read, well worn bible and perhaps a book or two of classics. Parents would use these to teach, instruct their children in simple truths and lessons.

There are many things I could say about the family unit today, but perhaps that will be for later. Instead, how much valuable learning today has been lost to the electronic vampires of today. Vampires that in a sense steal time, energy from the young.

As a child, I grew on a farm, no one really around to pal with. My first interest/love was a book. I remember many enjoyable hours reading...going to my aunt and uncles antique shop to get new books. I remember going to Cloverleaf Mall with my mom and sisters for shopping. They would always drop me off at the Walden Bookstore (one would not dare do that nowadays with their child) and knew that no matter how long they took, I'd be there when they got back.

I learned much from reading. It opened a world of learning and imagination. Over the years my tastes changed. From boys adventure/detective stories to science fiction, to mysteries and now to non-fiction...history, books were friends that I felt comfortable with and enjoyed.

It is a pity that nowadays, instead of curling up with a good book, most children prefer to watch cartoons or other kid shows on tv...play on the computer (games or surfing), or use console gaming for entertainment. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Penrod, Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, have given away to Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Pokemon games.

Something has been lost. I love to read, always will. It's a shame that in a way, the love of reading is dying. People like Peter tho, give me hope that there will always be those young minds who will love and cherish a good book.