)(( hannah mello ))(

Censorship. "/

CONTEXT:
I was looking at a blog today and read an excellent quote highlighted at the top of the page.

Lately, whenever I read quotes, I'm compelled to Wikipedia the origin of the quoted person. Today, I did that.

What I found ended up opening up a Pandora's box of thought.

I discovered that the individual quoted, Andre Gide, was one of the authors that were found in this particular book photoed to the left. An index of banned books-- published by the Catholic church-- to which his literature was added in 1952, one year after he died, because of its social/moral content.


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CENSORSHIP: (also charted by region in that Wikipedia link!)
Groups, whether they be as small as family nuclei or as large as a national government, have historically censored "for the good of all".

Dictionary.com (*another new favorite site of discovery) defines the word this way:
cen·sor

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BANNED BOOKS:
I found this list of books, that, for whatever reason, were unsuitable for humans to intersect with.

Immediately, my thoughts turn to my generation. Does such a thing show up in our day and age? Heck yeah. (see the Political Censorship section below especially...) Not only have there been recent censorship actions, but the topic has been in the mix a lot recently. My thoughts immediately turn to the films "Good Night & Good Luck" and "Pleasantville".


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SCARY ASPECTS:
The film "Good Night, and Good Luck" paints an accurate picture of censorship on television in the 1950's.

Ed Murrow:
-- "We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it, and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late."

And, although, the film "Pleasantville" has nothing directly to do with censorship, the idea of group-live/groupthink is definitely woven throughout. The dangers-- not of morality or of consistency in life-- but of narrow thinking and narrow living & hating anything but what is known & practiced.

Also, the film "Saved" comes up in my mind-- in thinking of how religious groups have operated because of the mentality of censorship and narrow living, judgmental thinking.


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MENTAL LINKS:
I mention those later two films because the Theme of Censorship has the links in my head to the Topics of:
-- closed mindedness
-- judgmental-ism on steroids
-- hatred laced with anger
-- fear of being out of control
-- extreme arrogance of being right
-- fear of the power of knowledge
-- a thousand other aspects of fear


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THE BALANCE:
In the same breath, I do believe in right and wrong. I do believe in good and evil. I do believe that sometimes innocence is beyond beautiful-- it's indispensable. Indispensable in the sense that, without innocence, beauty/life is gone. Like the film "Hearts in Atlantis" highlights. Ah... that film is such good commentary.


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POLITICAL CENSORSHIP:
This photo is a literal photo from political censorship. 2006. A photo of a couple embracing. Censored because it was marked socially inappropriate.

This blog highlights some Iranian political censorship, which this photo is a part.


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RELIGIOUS CENSORSHIP:
I found this image on a blog where someone wrote under it: "And *that’s* my beef with organized religion. Call me crazy, but I like to trip, fall, learn from the experience and re-approach society with lessons in tow. To me, that’s what life is all about."

This index of banned authors is absolutely horrific. Of course I don't revere every idea of the authors listed, but but but-- these were:

-- Authors who were themselves significant figures of spiritual influence & ideas. John Milton (classic author of Paradise Lost). Martin Luther (who stood up for Christianity not being all about money & image & control/power-- standing up for the common people reading scripture, and services & scripture both being in the common language, not in un-understood Latin-- starting the sparks of Protestantism.)

-- Authors whose works are classified as classics-- "classics" being works that are timeless in their telling of history & humanity & human themes. Daniel Defoe. Alexandre Dumas. Victor Hugo. Jonathan Swift. + Philosophers like Francis Bacon, John Locke, Karl Marx, Machiavelli, Voltaire, Thomas Hobbes.

-- Authors who were scientists that will never be paralleled. Galileo Galilei. Blaise Pascal. Rene Descartes.

I have faith in the person & teachings of Jesus, but as the character Hospitaller says in the film "Kingdom of Heaven": "I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of God."

As much as I love and deeply care about spirituality-- and as much as my spirituality is core core core to life for me-- experience and history has taught me to EXPECT humans (all humans, but especially those in any form of power) to deceive, to control, to impinge, to disappoint, to mar/ruin/destroy, to wound.


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SOME TAKE-AWAY:
After teaching English overseas, I now use the term "take-away" instead of "to-go". Gotta love the influence of freaking British English.

The historian Arnold J. Toynbee said: "If you do not know your past, you are doomed to repeat it."

I remember talking with my Aunt Judy months before I ended up selling & packing everything to go overseas. I remember talking with her while driving through nature-- lakes & green green green-- in Marin county. She brought up the problems of the world and the dilemma this generation faces in really confronting the gaping wounds & holes & needs. I remember some of what I said in that conversation with her, and I'm ashamed of all of it. I agreed & listened & responded to what she said, but with far too much optimism, hope and in effect, inmaturity. Optimism is important, but realism & knowledge of truth/realities must must must be. Without realities there is no starting place for genuine change.

I deeply deeply care about giving my lifetime to genuinely and practically do my part in this slice of history. If that's the case, then, I care about REALISM. KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH. REALITIES. MATURITY.

Helen Keller said, (loosely related, but fitting in regards to the aspect of the fear of knowledge), "Security is an illusion. Life should is an adventure or nothing at all."


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SO:::::::::::::::
Cheers then to opportunity. The opportunity in this day and age to research-- to read-- to listen-- to travel-- to find out. Cheers to taking that opportunity, but not for knowledge's sake-- for the sake of Life with a capital L-- & Change with a capital C.

posted by )(( hannah mello ))( @ 9:37 AM