Irregular Books

Greg Anrig works for a prominent think tank. That sounds like an asset, but it turns into a burden when Anrig cannot break away from logical arguments about how what ideas people should support. If only Anrig could embrace the power of persuasion, he’d be a lot closer to providing a useful plan for progressive regrouping. In politics, being correct matters much less than being perceived as correct.

The dinosaurs in this children’s book are docile implements for human domination of the Earth. What would they be fed in order to fuel their gigantic appetites? Where would all the vegetable matter for the sauropods come from, what with all the dinosaur-powered construction covering nature up with asphalt? Who would provide the flesh for tyrannosaurus work horses to feast upon?

If you care about kids, read Beating the Devil Out of Them, consider its arguments, and act to end the laws that make it legal for teachers to beat their students for displeasing them.

I’ve read The Golden Compass, and I’m telling you that from what I’ve read, the book is not atheist, and doesn’t promote atheism. For anyone to be provoked into becoming atheist by reading The Golden Compass would be extremely unlikely. That’s just not what the book is about.

If Lao Tzu had meant to have his poetic classic illustrated by cartoon characters, he would have done so himself. On the other hand, Lao Tzu is just about as much an historical fiction as Jesus, and he certainly isn’t alive today, so who cares? Lao Tzu isn’t here, if he ever really lived […]

Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings goes only half the distance. Many publishers of children’s books focus on the illustrations - after all, it is illustration that sets kids’ books apart from those written by adults. Also, the illustrations are usually the first thing noticed by parents flipping through the piles of books for children for sale at their local book stores.

It turns out that God is actually a big fan of The Golden Compass, and has personally endorsed the book.

Here’s a video of God giving his endorsement of The Golden Compass, to prove

I’ve got to admit that my mother did a lot of taking care of me before I set out on my own. On the other hand, my mother was a lot more to me than just cooking, cleaning and first-aid medical care. I’d like to think that she knows she can’t be replaced with a book. This sort of of Leave It To Beaver gender-specific separation of tasks just doesn’t fit with the way that families live today. My experience is that whatever needs to get done gets done by whoever happens to be there to do it. Mothers can take over traditional fathering roles and besides giving birth and breastfeeding, fathers can do the reverse. I understand the need for catchy titles that sell books, but I hate to have parenthood of any sort reduced to a list of chores.

Don’t confuse Campbell’s guideposts to the personal quest for meaning as teachings that are important in themselves. Myth and meaning is everywhere, in the commercials on television as much in the old legends of traditional folklore. Don’t fall into Osbon’s trap of devoting yourself to any individual or system of thought as a replacement for truly independent questing. The answers are out there, but if you don’t find them on your own, you will never truly understand what they mean.

One concrete step that everyone can take to help themselves financially is to stop spending money on silly books that give advice on how to manage money. If you really think that you need help, read Money Harmony, but don’t buy it. Get yourself a library card and check it out for a free overnight skim instead. You’ll be glad that you can return it at no cost.