All is calm, all is bright!

I do not enjoy the bitter cold anymore, probably because I no longer get school off when the extreme temperatures hit and all the things I must do outside are work and not for fun.  But one thing I do enjoy about this time of year is the silence and the brilliance, at least on those days when the sun actually shines!  But all of nature and some part of civilization is at rest for a time from the craziness that is life.  Not much is happening, for it is too cold to do much besides think.  To sit and think and ponder or to read or write, all for simple pleasure, is a rare thing in this madness we call modern life.  The advent of the light bulb and more especially television, did nothing to improve the intellectual lives of the common man.  The former increased the productive hours of the day that we might spend more hours working.  The latter devours our precious hours and leaves our brains frail and starved for use.  Whereas, a book demands active attention and makes us use that nameless blob of material that inhabits our skull.  Visual media does have its place and benefits, but we use it far too much as an excuse to avoid real conversation, active learning, and forming our own opinions.  A movie like Les Miserables can touch the soul in different ways than can the book of the same title, but most of what passes for entertainment in this age does little to inspire or teach us.  Instead of reaching for the remote tonight, perhaps reach for a good book.  Your brain will thank you!