worthy of our time

Last week I enjoyed my new beginning and hope some out there are joining me. I'm also including in this schedule, the reading of the Bible slowly over the 7 year period as THE Great Book.

1.  Genesis 1-3
2. “Of Truth” by Francis Bacon (Vol. 10, pp. 346-347)
3. “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg” by Mark Twain (Vol. 2, pp. 346-386)
4. The English Bill of Rights (1689) (Vol. 6, pp. 409-411)
5. “My First Play” by Charles Lamb (Vol. 5, pp. 300-303)
6. “The March to the Sea” by Xenophon (Vol. 6, pp. 196-222; Book IV of The Persian Expedition)
7. “The Sacred Beetle” by Jean-Henri Fabre (Vol. 8, pp. 105-119; pp. 1-36 of The Sacred Beetle and Others)
8. Since the study of Western Culture isn't complete without the study of visual and auditory arts, I also plan to restudy The Story of Art by Gombrich and The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers. 

As I read last weeks works, I copied pages of quotes. Of course I know everyone is interested in my great wisdom and knowledge concerning the readings (haha). However, I decided my thoughts on them were too long to share. Basically, the readings said the same thing from different angles. It is important to understand our cultural heritage and to learn to think critically. While some things are fun, they are not worthy of our time. Gordon B. Hinckley said it much better than I ever could. "I decry the great waste of time that people put into watching inane television...I believe their lives would be enriched if, instead of sitting on the sofa and watching a game that will be forgotten tomorrow, they would read and think and ponder...You need time to meditate and ponder, to think, to wonder at the great plan of happiness that the Lord has outlined for His children. You need time to read. You need to read the scriptures. You need to read good literature. You need to partake of the great culture which is available to all of us."