Even if a book sells a million copies, it would at best reach a very small proportion of the population. The same is true for a mega-hit film like "The Avatar". Thus, the worlds that are presented by these creative works by necessity remain a minority experience.
When we cast our eyes on the elements of every day, we find incredibly rich multitudes of experience that are the true "bestsellers" of life. Consider the sensation of flavor and taste as you sip your coffee in the morning. The joy of being immersed in the morning sunshine as you venture off into the wider world from your domicile. The swelling feeling of joy as you finally put your self at rest on bed after a strenuous day. These elements of experience are known to everybody, and shared by a true majority of people.
When one is young, one is often quite taken by a work of human creativity that one encounters. Because one is carried away, one sometimes even equates the weight of the adored piece with the whole world itself. One talks about the genius of the creator in a heated manner, enthusiastic on becoming an evangelist of the value of the work. One is then often disappointed by the more or less subdued reaction of the listener. One has forgotten that no matter how important a piece of creativity might appear to be, the experiencing itself remains in the minority.
Despite the disappointments, the young person soldiers on. One gradually rediscovers the common grounds for every breathing soul on earth. The simple joy of sharing those rudimentary elements of living must then serve as the foundation for communication. One leaves one's Dostoevsky and Murakami and starts to read the great book of the world once again, as one used to do as an innocent infant.
3 comments:
This essay makes me think about the concept of the "Tabula rasa".
Hmm..difficult but important. Think again. I need a cup of coffee...
Dear:Mr.Mogi
I repeat to read your books. Specially "I live though I die” and "A brain and imagination"
I am very looking forward to read your piece.
There are many great books in the world. Here I want to think about the books which contributed to transforming the situation of workers in the world. The books are The Capital and The Communist Manifest written by Karl Marx in the middle of nineteenth century. He observed the severe working conditions which a large number of workers including women and children faced during the time of Industrial Revolution in England with his comrade,Friedrich Engels. They had to work long hours with small wages under the strict controll and management of the capitalists. They used their labor as a means of production not as a human being. Workers were exploited by them. Their demands to raise wages and improve working conditions were not accepted by the capitalists. Therefore their life expectancy were very short and many of them suffered from serious diseases triggered by severe physical labor ordered by them. They did not listen to what workers had to say. Marx appealed many exploited workers to unite to transform the social structure, in which the capitalists had a supreme and dominant power to controll a society. His ideas and philosophy inspired them to form a trade union. It contributed to playing a countering power against cruel and self-interest oriented capitalists to defend their interests and basic right as a human being. They succeeded in liberating many workers from being humiliated situation by following the passion and leadership of Marx. Today his great books are widely read as a Bible to encourge and inspire among workers of the world because many people are facing serious recession and mass unemployment. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening in many parts of the world. Winner is the capitalists. Therefore The Capital and The Communist Manifest give the courage for workers to fight for eliminating the illegal power exercised by the brutal capitalists and for improving the welfare of the general public on a global scale.
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