A book that I read during the (northern hemisphere, obviously) summer of 2020 was 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds' by Charles Mackay. It had been on my reading list for ages, but finally getting round to reading it was a good way of dealing with life in a society which had gone collectively insane over a mild respiratory illness.
I very rarely buy new books myself, but when people ask me what I want for Christmas or birthdays I will throw out the hints.
As for myself, I have a bit of a second hand book shopping addiction.
-
My second-hand education
Might not hold prestige
But instead passion
And entanglement
Of loose ideas
Plagiarized from those who were so bold as to have told
Their secrets to anyone willing to listen.
Learned and turned I write away
Toil and play with new ideas
Evolving the way
Paving the direction
Of a world better than it was yesterday
Without the financial burden
Or frivolous fees
Associated with overpriced degrees
And all these specialists unable to grasp
Just a fraction of the complexity of all the moving parts which make up
Our health
Our community
Our business
New opportunities
Or the ecology and balance of the world as a whole
Perpetually producing life
Gathering them all
Seeking evolution
Redistribution
And homeostasis.
My second hand education is no frustration, but just a nice passtime into another place
Where honed my edge will soon embrace any adversity that gets in my way.
Because you cannot monopolize on this experience
But you can market the delirious addiction to box ticking, insidious exhibits of compliance
Because somehow that matters more than science today.
If only more would read in turn
They would all see how much we still need to learn
As the wool is constantly pulled over our eyes with lies based on assumptions but given out prizes and tithings and all other mannerisms of false respect.
The monopolization of thought itself is an absolute regret.
Don't ever forget
Over 200 thousand years of thought and shoulders stand behind us
And somehow they survived
Without needing to be bribed by authority
Or given any awards or ceremony
To the fact they can count to ten
Or write a letter
Play pretend
And stand on a podium with letters attached to their name
A book that I read during the (northern hemisphere, obviously) summer of 2020 was 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds' by Charles Mackay. It had been on my reading list for ages, but finally getting round to reading it was a good way of dealing with life in a society which had gone collectively insane over a mild respiratory illness.
Very cool, thank you for sharing these reviews.
I very rarely buy new books myself, but when people ask me what I want for Christmas or birthdays I will throw out the hints.
As for myself, I have a bit of a second hand book shopping addiction.
-
My second-hand education
Might not hold prestige
But instead passion
And entanglement
Of loose ideas
Plagiarized from those who were so bold as to have told
Their secrets to anyone willing to listen.
Learned and turned I write away
Toil and play with new ideas
Evolving the way
Paving the direction
Of a world better than it was yesterday
Without the financial burden
Or frivolous fees
Associated with overpriced degrees
And all these specialists unable to grasp
Just a fraction of the complexity of all the moving parts which make up
Our health
Our community
Our business
New opportunities
Or the ecology and balance of the world as a whole
Perpetually producing life
Gathering them all
Seeking evolution
Redistribution
And homeostasis.
My second hand education is no frustration, but just a nice passtime into another place
Where honed my edge will soon embrace any adversity that gets in my way.
Because you cannot monopolize on this experience
But you can market the delirious addiction to box ticking, insidious exhibits of compliance
Because somehow that matters more than science today.
If only more would read in turn
They would all see how much we still need to learn
As the wool is constantly pulled over our eyes with lies based on assumptions but given out prizes and tithings and all other mannerisms of false respect.
The monopolization of thought itself is an absolute regret.
Don't ever forget
Over 200 thousand years of thought and shoulders stand behind us
And somehow they survived
Without needing to be bribed by authority
Or given any awards or ceremony
To the fact they can count to ten
Or write a letter
Play pretend
And stand on a podium with letters attached to their name
As if that somehow matters.