India
recently unveiled an enormous statue, the tallest one by far in the world. Its Statue of Unity immortalizes Indian
independence leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and scrapes the sky 600 feet above
the ground – exceeding the Statue of Liberty by four times! It also dwarfs the world’s previously tallest
statue, a 177-foot one in China.
Meanwhile an even taller one is set to be built by 2021 off the coast of
Mumbai. India’s $400 million statue made me think about how books should be
honored – but is a statue a good use of resources?
Think
of what four hundred million dollars could buy.
How many sick, illiterate, starving, or abused people could have been
helped by that amount of money? Why do
we think throwing money at something is a great way to honor an ideal, event,
or person?
I
prefer living statues, where instead of building a useless hunk of nothing, go
and live out the ideals the statue is supposed to embody. Use that money to help liberate a suppressed
nation. Take that money and use it to
provide needed resources to the poor.
Live your values – don’t just look for a statue or a building to pay
homage to someone or something.
How
many libraries could’ve been built with 400 million bucks? Or affordable homes to house the
homeless? Or to fund college
scholarships? Or to do something that
actually helped people live better lives?
But
if you were to commission a statue of something relating to books, writing, or
reading, what image would you want to create?
Where should such a statue reside?
Could the money that would be spent on a statue be better used to fund
literacy programs, provide free books to the poor, supplement library holdings,
and help struggling writers to practice their craft free of financial
pressures?
I
say we create a logo, not a statue. We
need an image, not a place or a physical thing, to inspire us to promote books,
support literacy, spread free speech, and nurture our writers. So what would be the right image that can be
shared and reproduced throughout the nation, something universal, timeless, and
reflective of book-centric values, something all of the people could easily
support?
Statues
may be useful to inspire people when you look at something like the Statue of
Liberty. It reflects a big
principle -- freedom -- and doesn’t glorify an individual. But most statues could become outdated, like
the ones of Confederate soldiers, or merely fall into obscurity. If something is truly worth knowing,
remembering or preserving, do we need to rely on a statue? No, these core values or ideals should be in
our hearts and souls. Do I need a statue
to honor love? I don’t think so.
And
I don’t need to see 400 million dollars poured into a statue when that money
can be used to save or improve lives.
DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How to have a successful book
Book Blog Post #3,000
What do authors want to hear about book
publicity?
Why authors can’t rely on ads to market their books and brand
How to craft a brief message for long books
Why authors need coaches, just like
athletes
Know the media’s purpose in order to have
them cover your book
How do you find more book reviewers?
Valuable Info On Book Marketing
Landscape For First-Time Authors
Scores of Best-Selling Book PR Tips from
Book Expo PR Panel
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.