We're Being Gaslighted. Reading And Thinking Are The Only Antidote

My study at home. This isn't all of the bookshelves.

I grew up in a house full of books.  Wherever I have lived I have always had lots of books. Many people think that you should only have books you are going to read through, thus misunderstanding the concept of a library.  A library is not just a room full of books.  I have been building my library since I was in college in the 70’s. It is a working library, full of books on subjects I am interested in, such as American history, medieval history, British history, the Renaissance, Shakespeare, etc. Now my library fills two rooms and a bit. I have the good fortune to have my office at the church and my study at home. Each is full. My study at home spills out into the front hall.

Here is the important part about having a library and reading a lot. It is a way to learn. I do read some fiction but mostly nonfiction and mostly history. We live in an age when ignorance is expected in the middle class. The Republicans in Congress work on behalf of the wealthiest in the United States, not on behalf of the majority of Americans. They want to keep the rest of us ignorant, slaving away at our jobs. For me, then, my library is a statement of resistance. I know that the lies that Donald Drumpf tells about history are just that--lies, as well as the lies that his houseboys tell, such as Rudi Giuliani claiming that there were no terrorist attacks in the US under George W. Bush, conveniently forgetting that he was mayor of New York City during 9/11.  There are photographs. He was there. Drumpf is not a very good role model when it comes to intellectual activity. This is someone who would have difficulty reading a copy of People Magazine cover to cover.

Parents must model reading for their children. My parents filled this role admirably. They always read something. They are a good example of the finding from some studies that suggests that children who grow up in a home with a library (ie 500 books or more) and whose parents are educated beyond high school are more likely to pursue college education.

My mother had an MLS (Masters in Library Science) and worked as a librarian. My father had a high school education but was otherwise self-educated in history.

Our government prizes ignorant people who don't know how to develop reading as a habit, and who watch Fox News. Education is dangerous to those who would lie about history.

The Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, has difficulty speaking in complete sentences, and is dedicated to the task of destroying public schools. She doesn't seem to understand that although private schools are fine, and often a student can get a good education in one, most American children attend public schools.

We are being gaslighted, folks. Big time. 

I refuse to believe the lies that are dispatched daily from the White House and my library is my basis for that resistance. Don’t tell me any lies. I will know that you’re lying especially when it’s about history.