Cinderella--Then and Now

 

(see related post  And They Lived Happily Ever)

by Robin Holland

 Then my father was alive

     rich and and powerful in my eyes

     loving  

     protective.

Now he is gone--leaving behind

    the family that he couldn't see

    didn't want me.

 Then I was the fire burning in his eyes

    the light of his life.

Now I am covered in ashes

    of a dying fire.

Then I was dressed in rich fabrics

    elegant styles

    spoiled in reasonable luxury.

Now I wear the cast off rags,

    hand-me-down

    robes of hate and disdain.

Then I was loved and I loved.

Now I am used and abused.

Then I was... Now I am not

...until...

Somebody

redressed me

refined me

redefined me

and sent me to the ball.

Somebody

danced with me

saw me

heard me.

Now I am rich and powerful in his eyes

in my eyes.

I am alive still

alive anew.

BRAINS IN THE NET

This is your brain on the internet.

Your brain is being inevitably changed. Your flexible brain is adjusting and adapting to the new ways you are reading and working.

So now your reading is scattered. You are unable to pay attention for very long. And forget spending the evening rereading that nice long classic that you enjoyed so much in your twenties.

As you read-- on the screen, of course- -you dip into a snippet and dive after a tidbit. You follow hyperlinks to unsuspecting destinations, and then venture after still more.

Will you find your way back to where you started?

Do you remember what you were searching for in the beginning?

 When you talk with your spouse, your children, your co-workers, you are not looking them in the eye. You are checking your phone, your iPad, your computer to see if that one email, text, photo or expected attachment came.  To see if any emails, texts or photos came.

You are addicted to this checking—you do it compulsively.

You jump slightly and hold your breath as the ding that alerts you to new incoming whatever.

 You are always on, always connected, everywhere, anytime.This is your brain on the internet, according to Nicholas Carr in his book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains.

You may want to  listen to (or read) the  interview with Nicholas Carr on NPR's All Things Considered.

This is your brain on the internet.

You are researching an article.  You are only checking the hyperlinks that look promising and fit your intended goal for this work period. (You might be marking to read later anything that is unrelated, but interesting.)  

You hear the ding for email, but you are at a crucial point in your search. You take a deep breath-- and you ignore the beckoning call to travel down an unrelated path.

You keep working for an extended time, having learned that focusing on your breathing can call you back to your work, and away from the distractions that wait at the end of hyperlinks, ever deepening, unending web searches, entrancing multimedia presentations, dings and vibrating buzzes.

You take a brief break  to now check whatever dinged a half hour ago, to get a drink of water, to stretch, to breathe….

Then you return to your work.

 You have the capacity and the choice  to be connected anywhere, anytime.

Your brain is being changed. Your flexible brain is adjusting and adapting to the new ways you are reading and working.

This could be your brain on the internet according to Howard Rheingold as described in his book, Net Smart: How to ThriveOnline.

You may also want to watch Rheingold in this Net Smart trailer.

 I am, or course,  presenting the extremes and have oversimplified the positions and theories of both authors. 

But if we put these positions at either end of a continuum, we all fall somewhere in between, considering how we view the internet, and how we operate within that space.

Both authors agree that the digital world is changing the way we think, work, read, write, socialize, and interact with our world.

Both authors agree that ourflexible and adaptable brains are physically changing as a result the new digital opportunities and distractions.

They differ in what they see as the future consequences for us and our world-- and where this new technology is leading our brains. What do you think?

How do we grow and evolve in this ever-changing digital world?

Do we disconnect? 

Or do we educate/train ourselves and our children to thrive in this new online world?

See prior related post, Digital Pros and Woes.

Today’s Deeper Writing Possibilities

Try one or more of these suggestions to simply observe how you attend and to what:

Sit with your eyes closed for one minute and observe what happens in your mind.

When working on a specific task (online or offline),  note when and how often you change your focus to a different task.

What led to the change?   How long before you returned to your original task? Is there a difference in this behavior, depending whether you are online or not?

While involved in one task,  note whether there is something which you did not notice/recognize until it has been there a while or after the fact. ( ex. ringing phone, noise outside, etc)

When reading your email--pay attention to your breathing- do you hold your breath?

Researcher Linda Stone calls this email apnea.

Write about you observations.

You may want to start with the line This is your brain on the internet...  

You may want to write a personal narrative or essay.

You may want to write in the manner of scientific field notes, an article for publication in a popular magazine or an article for an academic journal. 

GROWING UP SEUSS

The Cat in the Hat

My first book.

Not the first book I ever owned. Not the first book  I ever read or had read to me. (See previous post, Love and Poetry)

The Cat in the Hat was the first book I personally bought with my own money

I must have been about 6 years old and my allowance at the time was $2.00 a month, which I received each time my mother got paid. This was enough to buy this coveted book.

Soon after this initial purchase I realized that every book that I might ever want was available for purchase.

This was the beginning of my penchant for buying books. This was the origin of maintaining a must-have list of books.   And this was the start of my personal investment and support of the publishing houses of the world. 

Every bit of my allowance for a number of years went to books.

And now-- not much is different.

This first purchase eventually  led  to overflowing bookshelves and piles of books in every room.

The Cat in the Hat eventually became part of an early reading series, which included a number of early reader picture books by Dr. Seuss, as well as other authors. I remember reading many of these.

Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, also wrote under the name Theo LeSieg,and those books were included in this easy reading series, as well.

 Dr. Seuss, however, like many of the writers I love best, wrote for a variety of purposes at a range of levels. You could literally grow up with his ever higher offerings of wisdom and life lessons. 

As a novelty Christmas gift about 10 years ago, my parents bought me How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Latin.

And many of us have given Oh the Places You Will Go to our favorite graduate.

Several of his books deal with social justice issues such as racism, (Sneeches)  the environment, (The Lorax )  compassion and activism ( Horton Hears a Who)   and more and more.   

And for you big kids who are not yet willing or ready to give up childhood or Dr. Seuss, there are some distinctly grownup offerings available.

Dr. Seuss joined the war effort during World War II, in a way that  only he could, working as a political cartoonist for a New York newspape. Richard H. Minear has collected over 200 of these subtle Seuss cartoons in Dr. Seuss Goes to War.

Dr. Seuss also created art solely for himself—now available for us in a fantastic, sophisticated, coffee-table collection of 65 never published cartoons, sketches and oil paintings.

TheSecret Art of Dr. Seuss, delights our thirst for the imaginary, other worldly creatures and lands that we grew to love in the Seuss we read as children.

And for those desiring a more risqué experience, Seuss even published a delightful “adult” book, The Seven Lady Godivas. including nudes in classic Seuss style.

Today, March 1, is NEA’s Read Across America Day (or Dr. Seuss Day), the largest reading event in the United States.

In its 16^th year, NEA’s Read Across America is not only this one day of celebrating--reading, reading-aloud, and reading marathons and other such activities-- but an integral component of a year-long effort dedicated to motivating children and teens to read, through programs, partnerships and  resources.  You may want to visit their Facebook page and join the effort.

What will you do today  to remember the Cat?

What will you do today to motivate someone to read?

 

What will you do to motivate someone to read---not just today, but regularly?

Today’s Deeper Writing Possibilities

People either love Dr. Seuss or totally dislike his work.  Which are you? 

What do you remember about Dr. Seuss books from your childhood?   Which one was your favorite?  You may enjoy revisiting some of his books this week.  What points and perspectives did you miss as a child that you noticed as an adult?

What have you learned from his wisdom and the political stances portrayed in his books?

Write a tribute to Dr. Seuss.  You may want to write a speech that could be presented at  Read Across Amerca Event.

What motivates you to read?  Write about ways you can inspire a reluctant or disengaged reader?