Jim has been using his time before sleep to listen to audiobooks in the last year. Usually this took place after we had watched some random bits of Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation on Pluto TV and I had “signed off” for the night. But recently he suggested that we re-allocate the Star Trek time to reading. I had already been spending time with my favorite lady detectives but this gives me an additional 20-or-so minutes each night before I fall asleep to unwind and transport my mind to another place.
I recently looked at my Pinterest account again since I link to it from this new blog and wanted to see what I had put out there. I found a link to an old article in the Guardian excerpting a speech by Neil Gaiman. Unfortunately, he has recently come into the public eye when accused of sexual assault by multiple women, which he denies. I absolutely give the accusers the benefit of the doubt and am horrified and disappointed by the behavior of someone who had been a favorite author and creator of Jim’s, and also of mine. He is someone who has not only created art we love, but has been a strong advocate for the importance of reading, writing, and libraries.
I think the article is still worth reading, especially in one of the darker periods of American life and politics. It talks about the power of reading to build empathy and a broader view of the world. At a time when I find it painful to engage with the news on a daily basis, I am comforted that I am engaging with humanity in a different way, whether I am reading historical, contemporary, or speculative fiction, history or other non-fiction.
“If you were trapped in an impossible situation, in an unpleasant place, with people who meant you ill, and someone offered you a temporary escape, why wouldn’t you take it? And escapist fiction is just that: fiction that opens a door, shows the sunlight outside, gives you a place to go where you are in control, are with people you want to be with (and books are real places, make no mistake about that); and more importantly, during your escape, books can also give you knowledge about the world and your predicament, give you weapons, give you armour: real things you can take back into your prison. Skills and knowledge and tools you can use to escape for real.”
So, I still think Gaiman has had valuable things to say, even though I will be unlikely to support his work in the future through buying his books or watching his TV shows. I will still take these words to heart and continue to believe that reading is one of the most important things we can do, not only for our personal mental health, but to be a better person in our families and out in the world.
And once in awhile, it’s ok to escape to the universe of Star Trek too.
See also Words to Live By at Pinterest