Books • Fahrenheit 451 • Meaning • Purpose • Ray Bradbury • Reading
I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury for the first time. I know most people read it in Jr High or something but for some reason I never read it and I have been enjoying reading classics lately. The book is amazing on so many different levels.
1. My friends that don’t Twitter or Facebook and all that stuff were mocking social networking because of how it’s not “real” communication and people have these “friends” or “followers” that are so surface level and meaningless that they don’t know how to have true community. This was displayed in F-451 back in 1953 where they have giant walls of televisions that surround them and the people in the TV are called their “family.” Then they have friends come over but they never talk about anything serious and mostly just watch TV together. Ray Bradbury is a prophet.
2. I loved this quote about purpose. It’s obviously doesn’t perfectly coincide with Scripture but I think you will get the point. It’s between Montag (main character who used to burn books and is now on the run) and Granger (a man who is outside of the main city and helping preserve books and free thought).
“Granger stood looking back with Montag. “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.”
That is so good. I think it does matter what we do, but we are all going to do different things as part of the Body of Christ and as different people. The question is, “What or who are we touching? Are we touching or just doing stuff? Has anything changed because we touched it?”
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
ryan guard
Great post- love the questions!
Sep 3rd, 2008
Chad Markley
Dude, I just started reading Fahrenheit 451 for the first time!! My wife was shocked that I didn’t read it in school. Needless to say…I didn’t do so well in school
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Man, the idea of “touching” with purpose is so hitting home to me right now! I am learning to look at how I can serve rather than how I can be served. It has been a hard look in the mirror but I can see change in myself. The changes aren’t quick but they are covered with Christs fingerprints.
Killer blog man. I found it via your FB page.
Peace
Chad
Sep 3rd, 2008
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