Do we even understand what it is we are fighting about?

I find it quite interesting that some people are so up in arms over the decision by Dr. Seuss corporation to stop printing a handful of books. Just as interesting that they felt the need to make the announcement they were stopping production.

Last year approximately 5000 copies of And to Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street were sold. It’s been years since any copies of McElligots’ Pool and The Cat’s Quizzer were sold… Seems their shelf life expired long ago, already forgotten and no longer read perhaps people subconsciously came to their own conclusions that there was no great value in them.

Be honest how many of you actually read any of these three books? Or if you did read them actually remember them? (Without google) And if there were no announcement would you have ever known they were no longer in print? More importantly would you have even cared? Also do you really think every book ever written generates new copies every year?

I absolutely do not think that we should start canceling things or trying to erase history, even that which horrifies us, but I feel like this particular situation is a frivolous attempt to stir the pot. Where it could be a teachable moment at the most basic level it is now just one more thing to get ugly about. One more thing we can use to reduce ourselves to name calling arrogant beings.

For those of you saying what’s the big deal? Consider this.. a joke is funny unless you are the subject of that joke and then it becomes painful. And if you are having a hard time wrapping your head around the difference between a children’s book and a song… tell me how many of you put your child to sleep or were put to sleep with the words of a hateful song read night after night, helping to form ideas and thoughts as an infant?

They removed the dancing hotdog from movies all those years ago due to the subliminal messaging effects …

One thing that has become quite apparent is these days people will fight over anything and everything just because. And all that does is take away merit and focus on the things that we should be discussing and debating, not fighting. Fighting doesn’t solve anything, ever. But that is where we find ourselves, stuck in a constant battle, good versus evil. No middle ground, you are right or you are wrong.. which means we are all so very wrong.

Once upon a time we were told the world was flat and then one day someone discovered that information was not accurate, so it was replaced with correct information. And yes people initially resisted that “theory” too, until one day it was accepted as the truth it is. Doesn’t mean we forgot that information was out there, but it means we have realized it should no longer be reinforced because it wrong. Or if we do share it, we put it into the proper context and use it as a tool to learn and grow.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Namaste.