diary

My barest soul (episode 2, continued)

3. On books

At a point in time when I had access to some of the best books in the world, I actually had no time to sit and read even a single one properly. I know that if I were to scan through the texts it would not do them justice (among these were Dazai, Buber, and Basho). Some time back, I had realised that reading is not a competition. Now I realise and value the importance of reading in depth even more. There are just too many good sentences in the world. If one can only live by just a single of these sentences for his lifetime, that is sufficient. Lofty ideas are just dead words in a book, if one's mind cannot absorb them, or if one cannot learn and apply it to life. Letters as text on a page are dead, unless one is engaged with the text. Even so, one must take a step further: bring that text to life. Live by it, disagree with it, talk about it, whatever. If the poor did not instigate a revolution, Karl Marx's 'Communist Manifesto' would just be another little red book in the library. If lives were not lost, wars not fought, and exemplary lives were not lived, the Bible would just be another little blue book.

4. Side thought(s)

This may or may not materialise: while I was on my way home earlier on, I thought of helping Dr Ho and myself curate a show (or maybe separate shows) in the distant future. Fifteen years? Only time will tell.

Teaching, teaching, teaching....why are they calling us teachers when we spend more time on everything else besides teaching? Surely something is wrong somewhere. We need more administrative managers/workers.

posted by sin @ 9:24 PM