Our heroes are fading in this age of instant communication and fleeting moments of fame. Truly influencial and dynamic individuals are overshadowed by pop-culture phenomenon. We are losing our connection to the artistic mind.
I have always felt it is important to honor those who were most influencial in our lives. Those of us who seek to cause change or create were inspired by something and we should recognize those inspirational sources. Without them no change would have occurred in us and we could not become an inspiration to others.
Therefore, I would like to honor the sparks that started the fires of passion within me:
* Books - A comment was made by a reader (Wolfie) of my blog that reading had changed her and taught many lessons. I too found much within the pages of books. Reading was my first love and I devoured all I could get my hands on.
My earliest inspirations came from the Hardy Boys, The Chronicles of Narnia and Mad Magazine. I still remember the first "book" I wrote was a Hardy Boy/Encyclopedia Brownesque story of a boy who road his bike around solving mysteries. It was extremely derivative but it began the flow of creative juices.
From there I found Tolkien, King and Stan Lee. The realms of possibility opened to me and new worlds were revealed.
My love for good stories, interesting characters and the discovery of new worlds has continued to this day. Most recently it has been George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series andthe Twilight series that have hooked me and influenced my creative side.
I leave you with a list of my 10 favorite books. If you have missed any of them, I would recommend them highly.
* The Dialogues of Plato
* The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
* The Long Walk - Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman
* A Confedaracy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
* Animal Farm - George Orwell
* The Count of Monte Christo - Alexandre Dumas
* Song of Ice and Fire Series - George R.R. Martin
* Civil Disobedience - H.D. Thoreau
* The World According to Garp - John Irving
* Salem's Lot - Stephen King
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Books have influenced me - I'm an avid reader. Lewis, Tolkien, Brooks, Preston & Child - all have assisted me with both my writing and with living life.
ReplyDeleteBook have an amazing impact on everything. I too, think that the influental people are losing their reason because the spotlight changes priorities. I'm actually setting up a bloghop for Aug. 24 to list the 10 most influental people from history. I have an author on my list.
ReplyDeleteI think The Holy Bible is the greatest book to have on one's list. So much subsequent literature has be influenced by this book.
ReplyDeleteWhat you say about heroes is so true. The "influential" people of today's young and the icons followed by so many through media coverage are mostly fleeting personalities who will be mostly forgotten in 10, 20, or more years. Great accomplishments have been replaced by outrageous behavior that contributes little of benefit to our society.
Lee
Tossing It Out
I think it's sad that our attention span is so short--it DOES make it hard for someone to be truly great, as the 'next big thing' pops up almost immediately. There is though, an angle that is hopeful. People, I think, are now finding their heroes closer to home. The national and international figures blend, but that allows the ones next door to rise. (or so I hope, and my kid's essays have seemed to have supported this)
ReplyDeleteBooks can have a fabulous influence. I think the ones that hit me hardest are those I read at exactly the right time to give me a paradigm shift in my thinking--books like Michener's The Drifters, Ayn Rand's Atlast Shrugged, or Tom Robbins' Skinny Legs and All--they all affected me in ways possibly greater than their merit because of when I read them.
>> Civil Disobedience - H.D. Thoreau
ReplyDeleteBRAVO! Certainly one that would make my list. This one also influenced Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr.
But why stop there? If you haven't yet, you gotta read his masterpiece "Walden", too.
But all in all, Lee is right: The #1 book on my list would be the Book of books - THE HOLY BIBLE. There's nothing deeper or more revolutionary than THAT!
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I've loved to read since my childhood. Unfortunately books are not held in high esteem by many these days. I have read a many books but I'm amazed how much treasure is found in the Good Book.
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