I have been purging. A beautiful new friend who is excellent at cleaning and organizing has been helping. I knew she was coming today to tackle one particular book shelf. As I went through some of the books that were there I realized that I bought and read them at a time of my life that they made sense. They don’t anymore and I took them off the shelf to give to someone else. They are no longer my cup of tea, I no longer take on the messages in those books, but it may be someone else’s cup of tea.
Two nights ago my boys and I went to listen to local farmers talk about bees, bee hives and honey. They had made a stop at the local library and brought books that were on hand there to show everyone what was available there and what Information was available for free and without an internet connection. I noticed that not all the books were in total agreement on how to take care of a bees. Some advocated chemicals, some different types of starter packages, some dealt with different climates, some dealt with the life cycle of the bees while others talked about the benefits of honey. For a person to get a well rounded view of the topic more than one voice was necessary. And this was about BEES!
I research. I have since I was young. My first degree is in history. Which means lots and lots of reading/research. It means taking on a lot of different perspectives and coming to one’s own conclusion.
It means being willing to think. It means being taught skills involving critical thinking. It means taking the time. It means exploring perspectives that are uncomfortable, and then reflecting on why they are uncomfortable. It is finding out who you are in this moment.
We are rapidly approaching Banned Books Week. What will you be reading? Something that is your cup of tea? Not? Or exploring something and then deciding?
