Mark frequently points out that I say "today on NPR" as often as that girl in the movie American Pie who repeatedly says "this one time at band camp." I really love NPR. I don't listen to it obsessively and I often change the channel when they go on to long about the war, politics, etc.; however, it is the only medium I have ever found that really provides news stories about real, everyday people doing amazing things - or sometimes just average things that make a big difference in the lives of a few. They talk about ideas ~ all different kinds of ideas. They have regular reporters but they also have one-time contributors from all over the world. These people talk about their circumstances and their challenges. They might read a poem that they have written or they might talk about a memory of a person that they have known. Regardless, I almost always come away from NPR feeling more connected to the world at large and better able to put myself in other people's shoes.
Today I heard the most interesting NPR show about the rise of the novel in the 18th century. The author of this book was on the show and she was talking about how books became available to more people around this time period rather than just being for the rich or highly educated. I won't bore you with all the details but the gist was that the availability of the novel and the subsequent ability of the masses to read about different types of people in different situations resulted in an overall increase of compassion for others and appreciation for the differences in other people. This benefit of reading was not something that had ever occurred to me but it makes perfect sense now that I think about it.
I have always been an avid reader but it is more than that... it is a compulsion. I need to read and I try to do it everyday if only for a few minutes. It calms me and helps settle my day. I love to have the idea of a book going on in my mind throughout the day and I especially like being able to return to that "movie" that plays in my head when I have a few spare minutes. I hope to instill this love of books in Milo and now I have an even better reason.
Anything that will help him to see situations from others' point of view is of great value. I think that quality is something that is often missing from our society today. It is not easy to look at people who are completely different from ourselves and realize that they have as much value in the world as we do ~ that their beliefs are as important to them as ours are to us. How much better would our world be today if we all had the ability to accept other cultures / people without judgement and without the need to make them like us?
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