I remember history in school. I remember it as being boring…snooze-inducing.
Dates, names, places…all dry, dry dry and nothing to do with my life growing up in the middle of America.
Until I had a world history teacher in college.
I was amazed. She’d walk into the class, sit on the edge of her desk, no notes whatsoever, and tell us a story.
It was history…but when she told us what was probably some of the main things I learned in high school history classes, it was different because it was a story…of the world, of people, places and things that happened to shape the world I am living in.
Suddenly, history was interesting. It had meaning. It was important.
Now, as an adult, I like history. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that the history I learned in a regular, American classroom was lies missing so much.
As they say, “victors write the history books”, so of course they can paint themselves as the “good guys”…am I right?
So what brings all of this on, you say? (A documentary by John Pilger, called “The Coming War on China”.)
Ouch.
The internet is a wondrous, marvelous, frightening beast.
Remember Proverbs 18:21?
“Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (KJV)
I think that of all the gifts that God has given us in this world…the tongue is one of the most wonderful….and the most deadly…that we have.
With our tongues we can heal the wounds of an enemy (hopefully making him our friend)…we can cut each other down with tongues of fire that destroy (not cleanse) or we can inspire others to fulfill the earthly missions that God prepared for them.
As writers, we have a tongue of sorts, only we speak with our fingertips. We weave stories and ideas that we hope will wrap themselves up in our readers’ minds, entertaining them and bringing them a respite from their “ordinary” lives.
And that’s a good thing.
Fiction is good…but only when it’s advertised as fiction…otherwise, it’s lies, lies and damned lies…and fit for nothing but the dung-heap…
If you have around two hours, I’d recommend you find that documentary and watch it.
Over the past five years, I’ve had to unlearn so many things it’s scary.
And that’s not to say I believe everything new I’ve learned either. I simply try to look at things objectively and question my every reaction, asking myself…was I programmed to think or act that way? Is what I’m hearing reliable information or is it more lies and propaganda?
What’s that saying?
Believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see?
Well, I think the ratio has changed.
