It has been snowing all morning, and although some of it is accumulating, most of it is melting. This is an unusually winter-like spring in Ontario. We did manage to go for a walk, and I wore boots not sandals. It was a bracing experience. It is one of those days when we had the streets to ourselves, but for passing vehicles.
Often, when my thoughts rest upon serious and upsetting matters, I turn to literature for comfort and guidance. Humans have not come up with much that is new over the many centuries, there is a rich history of thought to offer me solace.
The books I remember most, having read them while in primary school, were the Chronicles of Narnia. My first library book was Pilgrim’s Progress, I read it, I was not impressed. I also read a few books by Charles Dickens while in primary school, loved those.
The most impactful book I read, during my years in high school, was Wuthering Heights. I continued to read works by Charles Dickens, Pearl S. Buck, James Michener, the Bronte sisters, Plato, D. H. Lawrence, Miguel de Cervantes, Jung, Mary Shelley, Joseph Conrad, and more, throughout my years in high school. I was an avid reader, a fixture in the high school library.
As I look around me in this great big world, at this moment in time, I am most reminded of the book “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha”, written by Miguel de Cervantes, from 1606 to 1615. So descriptive of the many would be heroes abounding on social media in our time, all of them creating their own social worth, spouting their own facts and uninformed analysis, almost all of them out to influence others, and keep the cash coming in. And as far as I can see, almost all of them, and their readers, are tilting at windmills.
Even those who start out with good intentions, due to the nature of social media, descend into the algorithms of popularity and profit.
Worldly
Weather
-5°C
Date: 2:00 PM EDT Tuesday 8 April 2025
Condition: Light Snow
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: -4.8°C
Dew point: -9.2°C
Humidity: 71%
Wind: WNW 23 gusts 35 km/h
Wind Chill: -12
Visibility: 5 km
Quote
“The fault lies not with the mob, who demands nonsense, but with those who do not know how to produce anything else.”
Don Quixote, Cervantes
1547 – 1616
I finally read Don Quixote a few years ago, hoping that I would fall in love with the book, but I found it heavy going and it took me a long time to get through it. Your analogy is apt though.
The metaphor I find irresistible these days is Star Wars. It really does seem as if the forces of the Dark Side are in the ascendant, with brutality, meanness, misogyny, racism, lies, and general villainy being rewarded in so many quarters of the globe. We need a Luke Skywalker now. Or Princess Leia. Or Queen Maggie.
LOL, SP! I agree about the Star Wars metaphor. Queen Maggie, now that would be a life challenge, and a lot of hard work!
I remember when I was a Geography graduate student, one of our guest lecturers was a Geographer who was also a Catholic Nun. Needless to say a few of the male profs had some unsavoury things to say about her, but she was brilliant. She talked about the pendulum swing of societies, dark forces, through neutral times, to bright times, then back to neutral, and then back to dark, throughout history, very interesting and apt. Her analysis of the data was spatially oriented, ergo Geography, which made it all the more interesting to me. I had fervently hoped the dark times we now see would hold off three or four decades, so that my life span would not coincide. But alas, fate has other plans.
“Even those who start out with good intentions, due to the nature of social media, descend into the algorithms of popularity and profit.”
Sadly, I’ve found that true of numerous people I follow on YT. I’ve found that the titles of stories get more and more extreme and at times untrue. I’ve hoped my comments would draw them back to the straight and narrow, but most of the time they do not.
” I had fervently hoped the dark times we now see would hold off three or four decades, so that my life span would not coincide. But alas, fate has other plans.”
Funny, DH’s 89 year old dad said something similar about a year ago. It’s saddened him to see the dark sides that have come out. I still see some positives on YT, so I’m not ready to give up yet.
Teri, years ago I began to setup to start a YouTube channel, part of that process involved following other YouTube channels, so glad I did that research. I did not want the focus in my life to revolve around vying for attention. I abandoned the concept of a having a YouTube channel for that reason, Attila was in complete agreement.
I too still see some positives on YouTube, particularly the videos that present helpful how-to instructions.
My Grandparents, and Mom, lived through some very dark times, so I will follow their example, keeping calm and carrying on.