Simple Rediscovery

The best changes in history are made by the best people.  As much as we might want to think ... and imagine ... that today we are far more advanced, artistically and creatively, than any of our predecessors … I’m sorry to clue you in, but we are wrong. Creativity and artistic expression, and pushing back against the norm, are the things that have positively made changes within the world for thousands of years. So to truly learn how to make changes in the world that not only help now but help for hundreds and thousands of years, it is the realm of art and creativity. Because if we speak of science that makes a difference, it’s important to know that the world’s greatest scientists are also the most open and creative people, because without creativity even science, math, and engineering cannot move forward.  Rediscover and learn from Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein, Auguste Rodin, Russian Revolution, Modernists, Modernism, wars, financial disasters, turmoil, pollution, unemployment, travel, communication,  

In just around three minutes, a good pop story song gives us an abbreviated account of a love affair, or the details of an adventure (or misadventure), or the particulars of a personal tragedy that wasn’t our own, but was something that touched our soul.  The first twenty or so years of the Rock and Roll Era (from the mid-1950s to the mid-70s) were, what could be, the heyday of the story song. Singers and songwriters of the 1950s to the 1970s made sure that as soon as you got one story song out of your head, another one took its place—forming a compendium of musical experiences that allowed you to see the world a bit differently.  Listen to Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Loretta Lynn, Ray Peterson, Mark Dinning, Leslie Gore, Shangri-Las, Jeannie C. Riley, Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Geddes, Andrew Gold, Michael Jackson, Tracy Chapman, Carrie underwood, Paramore, Panic at the Disco, and lots of other singers and musicians who help you discover another side of life.   

Rediscover the frightening tales from our collective past. We’ll come to see that things really haven’t changed that much since the Brothers Grimm collected their tales. How we teach our children to learn about life, culture, society, history … is an important part of making people healthy, accepting, understanding, and welcomingly coherent about how it is we all live. Without creating this kind of intelligent and emotional balance among ourselves and children … we might rediscover that such historical and current extremes in life are mighty grim!   

It’s true that vain people can be slothful ... and slothful people can be vain but most of these double-duty offenders exist only on the fringes of polite society. For those of us in the middle—particularly those of us in the middle financially—there is limited means to fund the expense of immense vanity or the time-wasting nature of ultimate sloth. However, many would argue that, in America, the middle is becoming a little too vanity deficient and slothfully inclined, especially when it comes to our fashion wardrobes. Therefore, it’s time to up our game a bit and rediscover dressing well!

Rediscover the pop-up book — which isn’t only a book — it is art. Explore the modern masters of pop-up books: Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda, David Carter, and Marion Bataille. And the early creators of paper engineering: Matthew Paris, Ernest Nister, Lothar Meggendorfer.  You probably recall at least one title you treasured beyond all others. For the oldest among us, that might have been a book in the Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting, or perhaps a more obscure title like The Magical Land of Noom by Johnny Gruelle. Baby Boomers may reminisce fondly about Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, or something—or anything—by Dr. Seuss: Horton Hears a Who, The Cat in The Hat, Green Eggs and Ham. And younger people might think back to the good old days of the 1980s and 90s, when titles like A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silberstein, or Matilda, by Roald Dahl, captured our attention. But, regardless of your current age and the title of that book you fell in love with so long ago, it’s possible that, before you could speak or even before you knew what a book was, someone showed you another book that truly fascinated you—because it was different than all the others. In this book, the illustrations literally sprang to life; they moved, they shifted, and they even popped-up! Lest we forget the great joy they brought us, it’s time to rediscover pop-up books.    

A night of theater—be it a high-end, professional production in a major city; or a touring company performance in a mid-sized regional hub; or a Little Theater, community theater, or school drama department show in a suburb or small town—the “night of theater” is considered a luxury. However, in a time when many Americans have become inordinately discouraged and increasingly disconnected from their fellow citizens, regular patronage of live theater may just be the key to our survival as a creative, enlightened, and unified audience.  Consider busting open your piggy bank, buying a ticket or two, and spending an afternoon or evening rediscovering local theater. After the show, you’ll walk out feeling a bit more connected to everyone! Actors, entertainers, singers, dancers, musicians, writers, playwrights, directors, producers -- that's entertainment!  

Even if you haven’t heard of Mary Blair (1911–1978), you’re probably very familiar with some of her classic illustrations and designs. Just close your eyes and imagine the colorful, iconic faces of the children depicted in the “It’s a Small World” attraction at any Walt Disney Park, or visualize the well-loved images in theGolden Book of Little Verses that most of us read as children. All of that—and much more—sprang from the sharp mind and nimble paintbrush of Mary Blair.

In 1989, when Allan Gurganus published his debut novel, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, he did something amazing: Through a work of fiction, he managed to bring to life what was, to date, the most divisive period in American history, the Civil War years—a time in which as many as 620,000 of our fellow citizens (2% of the population) died. Perhaps even more astounding, Gurganus made it clear that although the war ended in 1865, the fallout it produced has lingered in the national atmosphere ever since, burning through consecutive generations of “Yankees” and “Rebels” much the way General Sherman’s Army blazed its way across Georgia toward the sea.  Nearly 25 years after the book’s initial publication and 150 years since the launch of the four-year conflict that killed more Americans than all other U.S. wars combined (from the Revolution to Vietnam), it’s time to take a fresh look at Allan Gurganus’s brilliant first novel and remind ourselves of something we may have forgotten: When two parts of the same whole turn on each other, no one truly wins. 

One could argue that the introduction of the modern typewriter just a tad over 110 years ago did more to change the way that humans communicate than any other single mechanical device before or since.  Although Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press began churning out manuscripts around 1440, most written communication was still done by hand until the mid-1800s. This meant that all personal and business correspondence, contracts, and communiqués had to be composed in legible, hand-written script—a process that was not only tedious and time-consuming but also extremely messy (just imagine all those overturned inkwells and broken pen nibs).  Today, typewriters (even the “streamlined” electric models on which many of us learned our keyboarding skills) are considered to be prehistoric gadgets—remnants of a bygone era when secretarial pools filled whole office floors and people (particularly women) could base an entire career on being able to type at least forty words per minute. However, this machine of the masses is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. Writers, lovers of old-school technology, and those just plain fed up with being tethered to their smartphone keypads and computer keyboards are rediscovering the pleasure of using this twentieth-century marvel to tap out their words one loud click at a time. Perhaps it’s time for you, too, to rediscover the typewriter!

You might be surprised to learn that most public museums didn’t appear until the eighteenth century; even then, it was often difficult for many middle- and upper-class patrons to gain access to their collections. And if you were working class or poor, you had little chance of getting beyond the front gate, ever. From the beginning, most museums made a point of being exclusive to the point of ridiculousness. Although American museums long ago adopted an egalitarian philosophy in which all members of the public are welcome, some could still be chasing off potential visitors and new donors through certain unrecognized, dyed-in-the-wool behaviors learned back when the moneyed classes and social rigidity ruled the industry. So what can today’s museum directors and curators do to improve their lot? 

The current philosophy seems to be the more “friends” that we can amass on Facebook, or the more “followers” that we can attract on Twitter, the better we can feel about ourselves.  Although making scads of new acquaintances via the Internet and calling them “friends” isn’t the worst thing that a person can do, the rate at which we are doing it as a society (and the possible price being paid for that behavior in terms of the loss of real friends) says a great deal about us. Before we completely lose the ability to distinguish one type of friendship from another, let’s take a look at how our experience with this noble institution has changed in the last few decades. By doing so, we might learn something about ourselves and, perhaps, rediscover the meaning of true friendship.  Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.com.

The silent film era lasted from 1894 to 1929; however, the history of projected images is much longer. Beginning in the late sixteenth century, traveling magic lantern shows (which used a device with a concave mirror and a candle or oil lamp to project transparent paintings onto walls) thrilled audiences throughout Europe. Although none of us can ever truly know what it was like to live during those heady yet somewhat quieter times, we can still experience a bit of silent movie magic today. If you have the chance to attend a silent film (or silent film festival) at a local university or (better yet) in one of the remaining movie palaces that dot the country, please don’t hesitate to do so. And there’s always the option of planning a silent movie night at home (many of the great silent titles are available for purchase, and you’re sure to find a subject that interests you).

For more than a century, radio—in its various forms—has changed the way we experience the world. What began as a means of military and ship-to-shore communication in the early 1900s had, by 1922, developed into an assortment hundreds of broadcast stations with signals cross-crossing the United States.  To understand the tremendous effect that those who dedicated their lives to the development and elevated use of radio had on their fellow citizens, consider the work of one of its preeminent founders, Norman Corwin.

Today, with so many school systems rendering the instruction of this historic form of handwriting voluntary or (in the case of schools in Hawaii and Indiana, obsolete), cursive training is becoming a lost privilege, perhaps soon to be available only to the type of children whose parents are inclined to enroll them in after-school cotillion and manners-training programs. That, of course, would be a great shame. Before cursive instruction becomes yet another victim of the current budget-cutting, technology-worshiping epidemic, let’s rediscover the value of this elegant skill that, although tedious to learn, has enriched lives for generations. By encouraging your local school board to carry on teaching cursive to elementary school-aged children you’ll be supporting a long and valuable tradition. And many years from now, you’ll continue to reap the benefits each time a fiend or relative (perhaps one that isn’t even born yet) sends you a handwritten card or letter. You know you love getting them!

Before the self-indulgence fever and over-the-top acquisition bug infects everyone, let’s all take a deep breath, back away from the sales counter, and rediscover inconspicuous consumption. There’s no telling when the first human came to the ill-informed conclusion that the number of things an individual owned directly correlated with his or her personal value. But if we’re not taught to overcome this most basic of misunderstandings early in life, eventually we begin to buy whatever strikes our fancy or makes us feel momentarily complete. Worse yet, we use those items (in subtle and not so subtle ways) to prove that we, too, are valuable. “Look at me…I have this! And this! And this!” Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.com.

Mindfulness can be defined as “a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.” That sounds nice, doesn’t it…awakening to experience? So then why aren’t we, as a people, practicing mindfulness on a regular basis? Perhaps it’s because we’ve never been encouraged to do so. Listen to our podcast, and reconsider how to experience your life.

When played correctly, this seemingly delicate pastime becomes a game of cunning and strategy that brings out the competitive beast in the meekest of players. Play just one game of croquet with a group of friends (and perhaps a few enemies thrown in for good measure) and you’ll learn a great deal about human nature—primarily your own. Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.org.

You’ve probably noticed that the world seems to be increasingly overrun with little yapping dogs. They’re everywhere—in markets, in airports, on busses, and peering out at you from expensive and not-so-expensive cars on the freeway. It’s more likely that the growing interest in having a canine Mini-Me that can be dressed like its owner and toted from one overpriced designer boutique to the next denotes a deeper issue: As a society, we’re growing shallower by the minute!  Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.org.

A disposable society does not last. We need Permanence, but the state or quality of lasting or remaining unchanged indefinitely might appear to be an outmoded, unrealistic concept. However, the value of permanence—and the comfort it provides during the span of a lifetime—is priceless. Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.org.

The clothesline was a common feature of the landscape of mid-to-late twentieth-century America. Sheets, towels, clothing, and all sorts of “unmentionables” flapped in the breeze and were bleached (and, yes, even sanitized) by the sun without fear of inviting theft or some exotic form of perversion. Although Old Glory might have been our nation’s symbol of freedom, a gigantic, frayed brazier or stretched out panty girdle wafting in the breeze was the true emblem of the American hometown. In a way, those personal items hanging on the line made us all family.  Discover us at SimpleReDiscovery.org.

We’ve all learned that youthful angst and juvenile rebelliousness are nothing new. Each generation has its share of adolescent cynics and post-pubescent radicals. Although Holden Caulfield, the protagonist in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, appears to be just another angry kid, unhappy with his lot in life and everything around him, he’s much more. Caulfield is a teenage everyman, who is unwilling to accept the status quo and who passionately rages (both internally and externally) about anything he believes to be unfair or damaging to the innocent things of this world. 

Swearing has been part of the human lexicon since Adam shouted, “Oh God!” the first time the Good Lord caught him with his hand beneath Eve’s fig leaf. Rediscover the interesting and creative “swears” that previous generations used to express their frustration with others while still retaining their dignity. Visit us at SimpleRediscovery.org and GSEbooks.com.

Please take some time today to review and refresh your knowledge of the ancient art of civility. 

Should your personal sanity ever begin to slip—which it could any day now—you’ll know that there are still people out there who will enjoy your eccentric company and, perhaps, even help you dust your giant ball of twine or your enormous collection of Pez dispensers.

On this episode of Simple ReDiscovery: the old-fashioned telephone. Before you cancel your landline service, take a moment to rediscover the benefits of old-school telephonic technology. Make a trip to Goodwill (or your Aunt Martha’s attic), pick up a vintage phone, plug it in, and start dialing. You might just find that it’s one, not-that-modern convenience you don’t want to live without.