Until recently, my book collection lacked non-fiction titles. The only books I had were either on writing, were from a class I had taken, or had been given to me. That's quickly changing.
Although I'd done small bits of research for pieces I'd written in the past; I'm finding that I have a new fascination with learning about things that aren't common knowledge, about places that no longer exist, and about practices that are either no longer the norm or were even taboo in ancient times.
I'm unsure if this new fascination was sparked because I've decided to accept my own past as it is, or if I finally understand what it means to become a good reader to improve my skills as a writer.
I don't think I'm looking to find what was lost, but acknowledge that things are lost. Throughout history, people, places, and customs have fallen away. Although many people have written about them over the years, it's not a societal value to discover knowledge that isn't listed on wikipedia or becomes part of a special on HBO.
We live in a world of self-proclaimed experts and I rarely see people fascinated anymore. If I could challenge anyone to do anything this week, it would be to find something rare and learn everything you can about it. If more people wold learn for the sake of their own curiosity than to impress others, maybe we'd live in a society that could accept itself. I don't feel the need to justify my desire to learn about the bizarre or the ancient, using my imagination to speculate on the possibilities of yesterday.
I don't want to be an expert in anything--if you're an expert, you've been labelled and placed in a box of specific knowledge. I want to be a creative explorer--to take off on cerebral adventures, sharing the best ideas with others from time to time.
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