46 Comments
author

Too true! My Reflections for a Sunday last week was about Ray Bradbury.

https://open.substack.com/pub/khmezek/p/reflections-for-a-sunday-ray-bradbury

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Your beautiful essay landed hard, Karen. They often do! I thought you were going to address the whole paper ballot thing, justifiably, but you took it in a delightfully different direction.

I have a particular penchant for art that is real -- actual books, painted canvas, live theatre. So much so I took on ChatGPT in a recent essay called Art vs AI: Bring it on, ChatGPT.

Here's an excerpt that feels particularly relevant:

"Right now, ChatGPT is a novelty. It will pop up on websites and instruction manuals and real estate listings, with its manufactured smoothness and correct syntax, and up everyone’s writing game. For those who choose to use it, it will speed up the process.

Eventually, though, we will tire of it. We will want something different, and in this case, “different” will mean “real.” We will hunger for words labored over by human beings the way the body craves homemade soup after too many gummy bears."

Here's the link if you're interested: https://marypoindextermclaughlin.substack.com/p/art-vs-ai

Thank you for continuing to bear the standard for paper, in all its dependable magic.

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author

Tja k you for the link! We are on the same wavelength. Beautifully said!

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founding
Mar 18·edited Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

exactly! real. authentic. HUMAN. there is no replacement or substitute for what God created, all of the universe and nature. and after creating both man and woman: He created them. and said “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. At no time will there be a substitute for God or His creation on any level.

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author

That's right.

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

This is so true; that’s why tyrants burn books. I remember going to the library when I was six & they wouldn’t let me borrow any books. I came home in tears & my brother said, ‘you have to be seven to borrow books’ & gave me his library card. I went straight back & borrowed 3 books; and that’s how my love of books (& my brother) began.

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author
Mar 17·edited Mar 17Author

Oh goodness. That's such a lovely story. Those days are lost, it's sad.

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

keep hard copies of everything. if it's on pdf, print it out

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Mar 17·edited Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but exactly WHICH thousand words only writing can tell you.

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author

Sometimes even the artist can't answer that question!

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Thanks, so true. I guess I am thinking about how story illustrations generally are well chosen and mean much more with the text than without. Also speaks to how 1 image can be used on both sides of an issue, with both sides thinking it tells their story. Context essential, always.

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author

Being the author of children's books, I totally get this.

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Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Even in a strictly physical sense, paper lasts longer than any newer media, from photo film to records to CDs to USBs. Books can last 500 years without trying if they're kept dry.

More importantly, books degrade in an analog way. Torn edges or missing pages don't destroy the whole text. All newer media degrade digitally. One crack and it's done.

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author

All excellent observations. Any time I find a used bookstore I am in there! Sadly fewer and fewer to find. There's a great one in Ojai that I love to visit.

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Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

I never throw out paper that can be used to communicate silently and secretly. So, junk mail with one blank side...goes into my scrap drawer. I know that's goofy. But there very well could come a day --

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author

Not goofy!

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Mar 21Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

My friend who has a permaculture farm in Ecuador keeps paper teabag wrappings for note writing.

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author

That's amazing!

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Mar 19Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

There’s probably a clinical name for this propensity to squirrel away paper that “afflicts” us, but I don’t care! Not only do I hate to throw away “good” paper, I feel the same affinity for a good box! After all, boxes are just hard paper!

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author

There are too many 'clinical names' and 'disorders' that we are told we suffer from. As you say, who cares! Enjoy the paper!

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Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Oh, I love that movie too! I haven't found many people, anyone actually,lol, who is able to appreciate it. I enjoyed hearing that about you!

Picking out books, paper, new journals and even stationary are all personally meaningful and such fun things to do with people you love. Thank you for your thoughts💝

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author

I don't run into many people who've seen it. Nice to know you love it too!

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Wonderfully written piece and so deliciously rebellious in its truth. Thank you for this.

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author

🙏

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

I hope you've read Walter Ong's brilliant 1980 work, "Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word," which describes the profound psychological transformation that alphabetic literacy brought to humans individually and culturally, and the role of "secondary orality" as a constant (though variant-looking) cultural form w/o a cultural that has finally externalized memory.

The Print Revolution was more overtly disruptive, and the early modern era in Europe bears many frightening analogies with political & sociocultural dynamics today.

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author

And I most definitely shall have to get a copy of Orality and Literacy. Also, should have added the influence The Disappearance of Childhood by Neil Postman had on that essay about childhood.

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Aloha Lowen,

I’m so glad to know another fan of Walter Ong. Orality and Literacy is a classic! I’ve been collecting his books for a long time.

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner: LINGUISTICS: A Revolution In Teaching.

Neil Postman: Author of The Disapearance of Childhood, and Amusing Ourselves To Death.

I absolutely agree with your summary of Walter Ong’s books.

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author

Yes, I meant to add The Disappearance of Childhood to my comment as well.

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author
Mar 17·edited Mar 17Author

I haven't read it but I did write about some of that disruption of the printing press in The War for Children's Minds. https://open.substack.com/pub/khmezek/p/a-battle-for-the-minds-of-children

The printed word took control away from the church and allowed people to find information on their own without an intermediary interpreting it for them. Certainly, the Internet did a similar thing, making all information available and those in power are battling now to control information once again. One way they are doing it is to flood us with so much information of little value that we become zombies, unable to absorb anything just stare at the screen. Another interesting thing about making all information available is that it destroyed the innocence of childhood. A book that is great on this topic is Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death.

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

Once again, beautifully stated. Thank you.

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author

🙏

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Mar 19Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

I read old books for the sheer joy of it. I have some that I’ve collected and compared to websites like archive.org and google and the online pdfs are altered! Images and sections missing. AI is already rewriting them.

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author

This is terrible. Books always were precious but even a worn out paperback novel could soon become priceless.

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We too love paper here'bouts! We used ta have this wonderful store in NYC called Pearl Paint--only art students worked there so they all "knew their stuff" an' weekly I'd go ta get a special sheet (for books, prints, writin', etc)--some made with rice, some made with cotton, some had nifty inclusions like flower petals--each a work of art 'fore the artwork wuz made!

Also--I love the paper on the old books (includin' the marble "end papers!" Today's machine printin' is too smooth, too white, too slick by half--it lacks TOOTH! (as often duz the writin' too!)

Meantimes, yer a' channelin' the written word (an' ink!) along with Charles Eisenstein this very week! Could 'a said "jinx" over some similarities! Thus n' such, I think you'll like his essay, starts out with his love 'a fountain pens! (nifty things them too!)

https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/machines-will-not-replace-us

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author

Thanks for the link, very good article. I have to say that I am terrible at writing by hand, if I tried to do all this Substack writing on a typewriter or by hand I would not survive lol. I am so thankful for computers for my writing. But I do love paper and pens and fountain pens are nice too.

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Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

I appreciate your mention of "Only Lovers Left Alive," which is (as if by accident) a vampire movie. It moves at an almost languid pace, not unlike a book read with respect.

I have treasured memories of wondering through used book stores, especially those with delightfully musty smells! I haven't encountered one in decades. The surviving ones--mostly chains--have floor space dedicated to books of crap, and many have wasted available room on items which aren't even books.

But enough ranting. You continue to grace us with thoughtful and thought filled words.

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author

Thank you so much. I like how.yoi say they were vampires (as if by accident) it's true.

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founding
Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

as with most of your writings, i want to do more than just “like”. but what other words can i add to yours? yes, paper and hard copies of books, art, and even CDs, DVDs, vinyls —- notebooks and journals and our own libraries (large or small) - treasure these. protect them, pass them down to your heirs. because a time is coming, and already now is, when these treasures will be “hunted” and those who seek will want to destroy them. for the very reasons you describe. truth is the enemy of evil.

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author

Thank you. I just feel compelled to remind people of this. 🙏

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founding
Mar 18Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

you are so gifted. and the talents you have been given, actual talents like Jesus describes, you are using as a warrior for His Kingdom. and you will be greatly rewarded. no matter what, remember that. you are doing exactly what you have been called to do. you are being faithful and honoring the legacy you’ve been given. i will always pray for you.

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author

Thank you. You are so kind. The encouragement is much needed and appreciated. 🙏

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Mar 17Liked by Karen Hunt aka KH Mezek

HOW TO WATCH TV NEWS, by Neil Postman and Steve Powers. Penguin Books, copyright 2008.

With New and Updated Material by Steve Powers.

TECHNOPOLY: The Surrender of Culture to Technology, by Neil Postman. Vintage Books Edition, April 1993.

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