Blog Dis
Changing the world indefinitely
2025-06-24
I have many unpopular opinions and I don't expect everyone to agree with me, any more than I'd agree with everything that spills out the mouths of mouth-pieces. One unpopular opinion I've shared with some select friends is what I've believed for decades that books don't change the world the way we believe they change the world, at least not indefinitely. In reality, the world changes you, and any creation released within the world is just that, a separate creation.
I write novels, and maybe, just maybe, this gives me the right to make such a bold statement as to suggest that books in actuality change the people who affect change in the world. If books were truly invested with the power to change the world indefinitely, then Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf (My Struggle) would still have everyone goose-stepping like a fecking idiot. Granted, millions died in horrible ways because of Hitler's policies, and this for me is indicative that books have the power to influence and cause great damage, depending on the content. Hitler's book has gone on to twist and warp new forms of fascism. However, his book wasn't the fork in the road that propelled the rest of the free world to change ideological viewpoints to coincide with his. Human atrocities existed long before Hitler's book had emerged onto the scene.
If books could change the world, the greatest selling book of all time, The Bible, would have resulted in there being no wars, no hatred, no senseless pain and misery because it's central theme, if you will, is a representation and interpretation of the teachings of Jesus Christ — the most known of his message to the world is the most simple: love one another. And the second most known teaching of Christ is to do unto others as you would do unto them. Unfortunately, these simple messages didn't change the world indefinitely. The Bible has wreaked havoc in many parts of the world, and continues to do so today, not because the book existed but because far too many people interpret each psalm and parable as the gospel truth and then set about to act out these teachings using the Bible as their excuse to do unholy things to others. They pass judgement. They predate on the helpless. They want to superimpose their ideologies onto others. So, if these persons didn't exist, and the Bible continued to exist, it wouldn't have had the same damaging effects that we see today.
Similarly, the teachings in the Koran, according to many Muslims, do not preach about control or the flagrant abuse of women. However, and when adopted and acted out by followers of Islam, based on their interpretation, these persons are responsible for the brutality that is meted out on other non-believers. So I return to my original stance, that while books are vital to all cultures, books don't for the foreseeable future change the world indefinitely so much as they change the people who misinterpret them or who pretend to understand the book's teachings, all the while they continue to proselytize or punish.
Free will empowers every reader to consume a book, to absorb its teachings, if applicable, and then this individual chooses their behaviour and how it will impact others. Granted, some people are very easily brainwashed and rather than look within themselves, to examine their moral centre, knowing fully what they're doing is right or wrong, they choose instead to allow some books to poison their mind, to suppress their free will. More is the pity. I doubt the original writers of some books had intended for this end result.
The Greek philosopher, Plato (428-348 B.C. - Athenian disciple of Socrates) wrote in his famous treatise, The Republic, a model for ideal government that would ensure the greatest amount of happiness for the largest segment of the population. Plato talked about the value of not giving politicians a salary but rather that they be housed, educated, clothed and fed by the people in order for them to serve without prejudice or to avoid being susceptible to bribes from external or internal influences. It was a brilliant model for building a just society. Plato's treatise should have sent shock waves throughout the world. The idea of a balanced republic came out of one of the most profound minds of human history and yet, Plato himself realized the flaw to his business model: human greed. He inspired other philosophers to seek better paradigms but these writings haven't changed the whole world indefinitely, not even a corner of the world.
So I shall repeat my belief yet again that books do not change the world indefinitely, in the manner that we believe books change the world.
As for changing the world, we arrive at the conclusion I came to accept years ago — people are the prime instigators who affect change, who hurt and belittle others, who control and subjugate. In my lifetime, albeit short that it is, I've witnessed the change in our democratic privacy laws because of terrorism, which is the direct result of madmen and misguided youth. The book of the Koran, which has been around for several thousand years, cannot be blamed for these acts of terrorism. Rather, spiritual leaders who indoctrinate youth have shamelessly misrepresented the Koran's teachings to further their own agenda.
Let me leave you now with a pearl from an American writer, Henry Miller (1891-1980), "... If now and then we encounter pages that explode, pages that would and scar, that wrong groans and tears and curses, know that they come from a man with his back-up, a man whose only defences left are his words and his words are always stronger than the lying, crushing the weight of the world, stronger than all the racks and wheels which the cowardly invent to crush out the miracle of personality."
Take a moment to reflect on these words, and perhaps you may arrive at the same conclusion as me: books don't change the world indefinitely — books change the people who affect change in the world. My only hope is that their efforts are for the good of the whole.
And please, if you will, stay away from hemlock tea.
I write novels, and maybe, just maybe, this gives me the right to make such a bold statement as to suggest that books in actuality change the people who affect change in the world. If books were truly invested with the power to change the world indefinitely, then Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf (My Struggle) would still have everyone goose-stepping like a fecking idiot. Granted, millions died in horrible ways because of Hitler's policies, and this for me is indicative that books have the power to influence and cause great damage, depending on the content. Hitler's book has gone on to twist and warp new forms of fascism. However, his book wasn't the fork in the road that propelled the rest of the free world to change ideological viewpoints to coincide with his. Human atrocities existed long before Hitler's book had emerged onto the scene.
If books could change the world, the greatest selling book of all time, The Bible, would have resulted in there being no wars, no hatred, no senseless pain and misery because it's central theme, if you will, is a representation and interpretation of the teachings of Jesus Christ — the most known of his message to the world is the most simple: love one another. And the second most known teaching of Christ is to do unto others as you would do unto them. Unfortunately, these simple messages didn't change the world indefinitely. The Bible has wreaked havoc in many parts of the world, and continues to do so today, not because the book existed but because far too many people interpret each psalm and parable as the gospel truth and then set about to act out these teachings using the Bible as their excuse to do unholy things to others. They pass judgement. They predate on the helpless. They want to superimpose their ideologies onto others. So, if these persons didn't exist, and the Bible continued to exist, it wouldn't have had the same damaging effects that we see today.
Similarly, the teachings in the Koran, according to many Muslims, do not preach about control or the flagrant abuse of women. However, and when adopted and acted out by followers of Islam, based on their interpretation, these persons are responsible for the brutality that is meted out on other non-believers. So I return to my original stance, that while books are vital to all cultures, books don't for the foreseeable future change the world indefinitely so much as they change the people who misinterpret them or who pretend to understand the book's teachings, all the while they continue to proselytize or punish.
Free will empowers every reader to consume a book, to absorb its teachings, if applicable, and then this individual chooses their behaviour and how it will impact others. Granted, some people are very easily brainwashed and rather than look within themselves, to examine their moral centre, knowing fully what they're doing is right or wrong, they choose instead to allow some books to poison their mind, to suppress their free will. More is the pity. I doubt the original writers of some books had intended for this end result.
The Greek philosopher, Plato (428-348 B.C. - Athenian disciple of Socrates) wrote in his famous treatise, The Republic, a model for ideal government that would ensure the greatest amount of happiness for the largest segment of the population. Plato talked about the value of not giving politicians a salary but rather that they be housed, educated, clothed and fed by the people in order for them to serve without prejudice or to avoid being susceptible to bribes from external or internal influences. It was a brilliant model for building a just society. Plato's treatise should have sent shock waves throughout the world. The idea of a balanced republic came out of one of the most profound minds of human history and yet, Plato himself realized the flaw to his business model: human greed. He inspired other philosophers to seek better paradigms but these writings haven't changed the whole world indefinitely, not even a corner of the world.
So I shall repeat my belief yet again that books do not change the world indefinitely, in the manner that we believe books change the world.
As for changing the world, we arrive at the conclusion I came to accept years ago — people are the prime instigators who affect change, who hurt and belittle others, who control and subjugate. In my lifetime, albeit short that it is, I've witnessed the change in our democratic privacy laws because of terrorism, which is the direct result of madmen and misguided youth. The book of the Koran, which has been around for several thousand years, cannot be blamed for these acts of terrorism. Rather, spiritual leaders who indoctrinate youth have shamelessly misrepresented the Koran's teachings to further their own agenda.
Let me leave you now with a pearl from an American writer, Henry Miller (1891-1980), "... If now and then we encounter pages that explode, pages that would and scar, that wrong groans and tears and curses, know that they come from a man with his back-up, a man whose only defences left are his words and his words are always stronger than the lying, crushing the weight of the world, stronger than all the racks and wheels which the cowardly invent to crush out the miracle of personality."
Take a moment to reflect on these words, and perhaps you may arrive at the same conclusion as me: books don't change the world indefinitely — books change the people who affect change in the world. My only hope is that their efforts are for the good of the whole.
And please, if you will, stay away from hemlock tea.
