Doug “Uncola” Lynn
TheTollOnline
“We read to know we’re not alone.”
Although that particular truism is often mistakenly attributed to the author C.S. Lewis, it was actually William Nicholson who wrote those words in his 1989 play “Shadowlands”, a story about C.S. Lewis.
Indeed. The power of words. And perhaps many of us out here in the interwebic blogosphere write to know we’re not alone as well.
Especially during times like these.
We use words to comfort and curse, to encourage, to promise, to teach, buy, sell, debate, learn, manipulate, lie, share, seduce, pray, preach, promote, warn, and even survive.
In the aforementioned play, “Shadowlands“, there is another quote that many now reading this may also find relevant to our times:
[…]pain is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world. Why must it be pain? Why can’t he rouse us more gently, with violins or laughter? Because the dream from which we must be wakened, is the dream that all is well.
No, Dear Reader, all is not well. But it never has been in this corrupt world; or, at least, very well for very long. Everything turns. And whether or not any megaphonic pain originates from God or the devil is beside the point. The truth remains: life is suffering and it’s been that way from the time of man’s first moans.
To be sure, ever since earth’s original family settled east of Eden it’s been a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong, and smart, survived. Truly, it wasn’t peoplekind’s opposable thumbs alone that placed them at the top of the animal kingdom’s food chain – it was their ability to think. Or, rather, the mind’s ability to choose. To decide. To improve. All of these derived from the silver lining of free will.
And, undeniably, those who have decided best, have lived best. This is very important to understand, especially now. Because the times are about to become more extreme than most people currently realize; even to the point where split-second decisions will determine who lives and who dies.
Since starting my blog over three years ago, I’ve attempted to tell the truth to the best of my ability. I’ve done so, of course, at my own expense, measured primarily by time spent subtracted from zero financial gain – and to the tune of well over 300,000 words so far.
What I’ve gained from my blogging experience, fortunately, has been the ability to remain sane during these crazy times as well as the beneficial, even priceless, perspectives of various online “friends”.
Yes, even in the rough-and-tumble digital world of the free internet: We read to know we’re not alone.
Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn fast.
– NICHOLSON, WILLIAM. (1989). “SHADOWLANDS”.
Doug’s post continues with a review of a book; “Everything I Know About Business I Learned From the Godfather”.