Will books survive?
This week I’m will be at the Frankfurt Book fair - which is the most important book event there is- since I was invited to open it on the 14th of October. There will be a press conference on the opening day and on the 15th I will throw a party where most of you will be present through the pictures you sent to the virtual exhibition and also with your hearts.
Given this context, this week I want your opinion on the following matter: will books survive?
This is the question that the book fair is raising and in my speech I say that books will not disappear since there is free content flowing on the net. Said this, many fear sharing content while I think that a solution can be reached in which publishers, authors and agents will agree upon. In my eyes, the wrong way is to be greedy and consider that content shouldn’t be shared and that internauts are mainly pirates. My speech - that will be posted here tomorrow - talks about this: that there are no pirates in internet but people eager to share content.
So I want you to share your ideas on books, free content and on what’s going to happen in this new context.
As you know, I’m a strong supporter of contents for free (with Pirate Coelho and Internet Books) and therefore I’m eager to hear your opinion on this subject. Since there will be more than one press conference in Frankfurt, I’m planning to access my blog and share your views with the journalists at the fair.
Thank you for your support.
Do you understand?
So it seems that we are living in a culture of fear.
Before it was the terrorist attacks and now we see this economic crisis that engulfs the whole world.
My point is that we understand less and less what is happening. Personally, the more I read about this crisis the more I get lost.
Not only that: I’m reading about Pakistan, Afghanistan, Irak and the Middle East and it seems that people are losing control. When this happens we see the rise of a culture of fear. And this is what I want you to share: do you feel we are living a moment where fear is being used against us?
Don’t you have the feeling that besides our personal fear, there’s an atmosphere of doubt that is imposing this world of crisis to us?
I would like to hear your opinion on collective fear.
Witch hunt
First of all, I want to thank you for the conference I gave at Blogtalkradio a few weeks back: it ranked among the most popular shows of this portal.
Today I want to discuss a book written by Arthur Miller called “The Crucible”.
It is about a witch hunt that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Girls were accused of witchcraft and were burnt at the stake. On a side note, I’ve been to Salem and saw little souvenir shops selling images of this horrible episode.
Yet what I want to discuss here is this : I have the feeling that we are coming back to the witch hunt.
Anyone who dares to be different or doesn’t follow the “manual of good behavior” is blamed as a witch, a fool or a crazy … And I believe this context inhibits people of following their personal legend.
I would like to know then your opinion about this.
(Of course that on the lung run this is bound to change and the world will open up againt to the hidden powers of individuals, but I would like to have your opinion on today’s context).
Madonna and us
Today is late Sunday and I just returned from the show of Madonna. And what did I see? A young 50 year-old dancing like a child, a queen, a teenager.
It got me thinking about the fact that I believe we are aging differently from the previous generations. I remember for instance my parents at the age of 50 and they were already old, and more importantly they considered themselves as already old.
So what’s your opinion on aging? Did we change our perception of how to get old?
UPDATE 24 SEPT
I am very surprised on how many comments this post is having. Therefore, I am sharing here a poem by Jenny Joseph:
When I am an old woman,
I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go,
and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandles,
And say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
and gobble up samples in shops
and press alarm bells
and run with my stick along public railings,
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick flowers in other people’s gardens
and learn to spit!
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at ago,
or only bread and pickles for a week,
and hoard pens and pencils
and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
and pay our rent
and not swear in the street,
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner
and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised
when suddenly I am old,
And start to wear purple!
The Dream of God
Dear readers, rather than asking you a question I would like to ask your opinion on the following subject.
The Toltec, a pre-Colombian culture, stated that we are a dream of God. We can also be his nightmare and what distinguishes the good dream from the nightmare is our presence in this world. In a way, fulfilling our personal legend brings us closer to the good dream of God.
Yet many don’t do that and they blame others for this frustration: they put the blame on their family, on their boss, etc… Of course, all these excuses prevent us from doing what can truly fulfill us.
So, share here your opinion on this issue: where is society heading to? Are people fulfilling their personal legend or do you think that - on the whole - people are still paralyzed by the fear society infuse in them?
Person and Persona
The word "Person" comes from "Persona" (latin) and "Persona" meaning mask, a mask that we have to wear sometimes in society. Sometimes we have to be political, we have to use this persona.
The question is: Who are you? Who is your persona? Who do you think you are and what you are forced to do to behave so you can survive in the society.
Love
Paulo
