Paper or Plastic?

Ever since I was little, I've loved books. I've loved reading. I've loved learning. Nothing has changed. I love the feel of a thick book in my hands; calculating how far until I'm a quarter of the way done, halfway done, three quarters of the way done; and the beautiful satisfaction of reading that last word on the last page. And I'll admit, there are times when I revel in the fact that I am more well-read than the majority of American society. I read Oliver Twist as a 7th grader. Completing that book marked my shift from reading children's novels to classic literature. I grew up a little bit the day I finished Oliver Twist. But regardless of what or how much I read, my point is that I love books.

Today, it's so easy to carry a book with you wherever you go: in your phone, your computer, your iPad, your Kindle. Book burning will never have the same effect again. I'm glad at this use of technology. And yet, despite how much I appreciate being able to read on my phone, I don't think I could give up collecting paper books. I could have a million books on a Kindle, but the feeling I'd get scrolling through those titles would never compare to the delight the stacks of a library evoke in me. The other day I walked into work carrying a copy of War and Peace to read during my breaks and received the incredulous and impressed comment, "THAT is a book." Books are expensive, yes. They are perishable, yes. But they are so much more than that. They are an ingrained part of human history.

Imagine this:

All the books in the world are burnt. I don't know why, maybe as alternative fuel or something. The "why?" is not important, they're all gone. And all we have left are the empty, dusty shelves of the libraries...and our electronic books. Never again would you experience the thrill of fanning 800 pages under your thumb. Never again would you breath in deeply the smell of an old or new book. You'd never know how loved a book was by its wear and tear, or be able to snap a book shut and rest your eyes after drinking in the final word of the story. Never.

Technology is wonderful but, call me old fashioned, it could never replace the added level of pleasure that reading a good book in its hard-copy form gives. A book is a book no matter how it's presented. Twilight will forever be poorly written ilk and Dickens will always have produced masterpieces, no matter what form they are presented in. But if I had to choose between paper or plastic?...I'd choose paper every time.

21st Century Proverbs

Proverbs by...me.

"Be optimistic, because no matter how old you are, you are too young to be jaded."

"Somebody I knew once said that only boring people get bored. I like that, but I don't entirely agree. I get bored, but I am not boring. So I say only boring and lazy people get bored. If you walk through life with an active mind and the willingness to initiate engagement, boredom will have a hard time catching you."

"Learn to let people go. It is good to keep the door of your heart open to new loves and new relationships, but by keeping your heart open, you must also accept that people will leave as well."

"Do not judge. Because no matter what people may do, they are not accountable to us. They are accountable to God and God alone. He has promised to take care of the judgement and has commanded us only to love."

"Just because somebody tells you something is right or wrong does not mean that it is. Not every law is just. And not every rule is logical."

"Challenge beliefs, but do not disrespect the people that hold them."

"99% of modern literature filth."

"Happiness is often mistaken for joy. Happiness is based on circumstances. Joy is based on the heart."

"Not all adults are wise, and not all youths are fools."

"Only those who cease to learn and strive grow old."

"If you are unhappy with your circumstances, change them."

"Takes risks, because even if you fail you will have learned something and the struggle will make you stronger."

"I think mistakes are a good thing. They can really hurt like a good slap in the face, but they wake us up and teach us a lesson. If you've never made a really good mistake, then chances are you've never taken a really good risk. So take risks and if you fail horribly, relish it, because regardless of the outcome the experience is never worthless."

"It's never too late to change your mind."

"I like silence. But I think people fear silence because it leaves them alone with themselves, and a lot of the time they have nothing to say."

"Dancing in front of your mirror and singing into your hairbrush are important. If you can't be a star in your own room, how can you be a star out in the world?"

"Nobody is normal. So be who you are and if somebody laughs at you or thinks you're strange, laugh right back all the more heartily, because you get the joke and they're still stuck in the delusion."

"If you are vain. Be vain. People will hate you less for loving yourself if you do not feign modesty."

"Do not compare yourself to others, but only to yourself. You do not have the same goals, hopes, means, thoughts, dreams, skills, past, desires, or struggles as any other person in the world. So any comparison will be skewed and unfair."

"The way you present yourself matters. Put an extra 10-20 minutes into your wardrobe and make-up in the morning and you will save yourself hours of repairing the negative first impression a sloppy appearance impresses on the minds of every new acquaintance you make. If you do not respect yourself, why should anybody else?"

"Love people. Love them hard."

"Make the best of wherever you are. You will be somewhere else soon enough, but for now, you are where you are supposed to be."