Floor Games and Sand Play

Hero’s Home

Originally uploaded by Eric K.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neil Postman, argues in his book “The Disappearance of Childhood” that the idea of childhood as a separate, innocent time for play and learning is very much a recent invention.

In hunter gatherer societies children have plenty of time to play and also to learn naturally from older children and adults going about their business.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200808/children-educate-themselves-iii-the-wisdom-hunter-gatherers

But, as Postman convincingly argues, the Middles Ages (or the Dark Ages) was a very harsh time for children. Children were expected to work from a very early age, and work hard, and parents were free to do with them as they like. At age 7, they were considered to have reached the age of reason and were given the same sentence for any crime as adults (including hanging for theft).

It wasn’t until the 1600s that the modern conception of childhood started to come about. Parents and community groups and churches opened schools and eventually playgrounds. During the Victorian Era especially, Children’s Literature thrived along with the concept of childhood as an innocent time for play and learning, to be protected from adult concerns. School nevertheless was often harsh, but was a huge step up from factory work and mining and the many other forms of child labor.

 

Anti-TV Books

 

For quite a while I had been uneasy with the huge amount of TV I was watching (no more than the American average, which of course is quite a bit). And, for quite a while I had been meaning to read “Bowling Alone”.

Fame Junkies and TV

Thanks to Chris for recommending this fascinating book.

 

Why are American’s so obsessed with Fame and celebrities? Jake Halpern, in his book Fame Junkies does an excellent job explaining this mystery. To do so, he gets to know a number of people who are either obsessed with becoming famous or are obsessed with celebrities.

 

It would be easy to be scornful of obsessed fans and celebrity slaves, but Halpern is instead very sympathetic. As a child he was obsessed with the TV show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”. To the point where his parents became so alarmed that they threw out the TV. He continues to be non TV-watching, which he feels, gives him a useful outsider perspective.

 

Anti-TV Novels

I wish I had a long list of Anti-TV novels to review. Unfortunately, I could only find four:

 

 “Feed”

 “The TV Kid”

 “Fahrenheit 451″

 “Television”

 

Also, honorable mention to “The Traveler“, a thriller which mentions TV as a form of social control to be rejected by those in the know.

 

If you know of any others, please let me know!

 

 

 

The Power of Fiction

Novels, even though they are fictional can convey powerful political messages (for both good and evil).

 

Traditionally the power of fiction was understood, this was partly why Literature used to be considered an essential subject for the well-educated scholar.

 

 

Book Review: Read & Grow Rich

 

Read & Grow Rich: How the Hidden Power of Reading Can Make You Richer in All Areas of Your Life by Burke Hedges

 

Despite the kind of cheesy title, I actually really liked this book. The Author, Mr. Hedges was not a big reader, but reluctantly decided to read a self-help book that his sister-in-law had recommended. This book not only inspired him to read more books, it actually inspired him to change his life, to make the changes necessary for him to grow rich, both materially and spiritually.

 

Reading self-help books, although very helpful for many people, is also considered kind of déclassé. This is ironic since traditionally, studying the humanities (including Literature) was considered a form of self-help, a respected way to understand humanity and oneself.

 

This is something Mr. Hedges touches upon when he lists a number of historical self-help books such as Pilgrims Progress and Walden. Both are popular self-help books, that are also considered Literature.