What I’ve Been Reading
Does Dystopian Fiction Increase Real Life Violence? Aeon
This article explores the possibility that the recent popularity of dystopian fiction may increase our tolerance for violence in the real world. The authors conducted a series of experiments to determine if exposure to films such as Hunger Games affected how the participants viewed real-world situations.
“What we found was striking. Even though they were fictional, the dystopian narratives affected subjects in a profound way, recalibrating their moral compasses.”
It was an interesting read and brought up a number of questions. If this research demonstrates the impact of a specific genre on a subset of real life, what are the implications for fiction in general? What should be our response, as readers, knowing that what we read might play a powerful role in the rest of our life? Is there a distinction to be made between stories such as Hunger Games which are marketed primarily to young adults as pure entertainment? What about more substantial works of fiction that require close study and deeper analysis? Is there a way to approach any work of fiction more thoughtfully that allows us to choose the lessons we will draw from it, rather than unconsciously absorbing the material?
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Farnam Street
This piece is a nice complement to my ongoing study about creativity. It wrestles with the idea that nothing we do is truly original. Any contributions we offer are part of the great collaboration of ideas that has been occurring since the beginning of time.
This quote from Steve Jobs goes along with my reading of Arthur Koestler. Creativity is about seeing connections where other people don’t see them.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it. They just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while; that’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”
We seem to have this fixation on originality and so when we realize nothing is original, it is easy to give up altogether. But I found this quote from Jim Jarmusch to be particularly inspiring:
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light, and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.”
Overall, this article was really thought-provoking, it draws from many sources, and offers a hopeful path for creativity.
The Moral Bucket List, David Brooks (NYT)
All of us have met those individuals who seem to radiate “an inner light.” They make you feel so good just being in their presence. There is a special quality to their person that draws you in, makes you feel welcomed, and appreciated. The author has spent some years trying to understand how these people got to be so good and lays out some of his findings in this article.
“I came to the conclusion that wonderful people are made, not born — that the people I admired had achieved an unfakeable inner virtue, built slowly from specific moral and spiritual accomplishments.”
This is really just a beautiful piece, anything I can say to summarize would not do it justice.
What I’ve Been Listening To
I read this piece about Brahms and his music as an accompaniment to someone in grief. It made me want to get back into exploring his work, so I came across this album on Spotify. It is oddly comforting and inspiring.
What I’ve Been Watching
13 Train Rides
If you are feeling a little restless at home, here are some virtual train rides you can enjoy from the comfort of your couch. I found this to be a very relaxing backdrop to my activities around the house.
What I’ve Been Doing
Over the winter we started playing more boardgames and I discovered this delightful game called Wingspan. The game showcases 186 bird species on beautifully illustrated cards.
Each player has their own board with three areas representing different habitats. You work to collect various bird species for your habitats, as each bird has different powers that help you during the game. There are several activities from gathering food from the bird feeder to laying eggs on a bird card. At the end of the game you tally up your points in several categories to determine the winner. I enjoyed this game so much that Brandon bought the European expansion, with an additional 80 birds native to Europe.
There is a lot to balance throughout the game and can feel a little overwhelming when you first start. But it is easy to pick up on how it works, and this has become my favorite game. While a little on the pricey side, I’ve never seen a game of this quality. It is beautifully designed, from the illustrations on the box down to the scoresheets used to tally up points.
