Thursday, June 17, 2010

Hondo Lane: A Review


Hot sun beating down on him, turning him hard and rusted with life, as he walked on through the desert Hondo Lane ventured on from his dead horse. “Hondo” written by Louis L’amour is in my mind one of his classic western stories. The master of describing the west brings a world of dust and harsh heat to us through this story. L’amour paints such vivid pictures of the west with this story I could almost smell the gun powder in the beginning shout out; then taken to a the smell of hot steel as he shoes a horse for a “widowed” woman. We walk with a man, raised by Indians of the west, as he navigates through the desert, and takes on a mission of virtue. The character Hondo Lane, a well known gunfighter, becomes intertwined in an unexpected romance and justice for a slaughtered army. He works his way through adversity using the skills taught to him by Native Americans, which allows him to survive the wild west. The story sucks you in from the very beginning with twists and turns that will keep pages turning. Even if you are not fan of westerns this is a story that is timeless. I give it 5 horseshoes.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A Quick Short: Inspired by a Stranger

His stomach burned with pains of lacking nourishment, due to a week long fasting, but he carries on with his work as growls rise up. Only this man filled with hunger begins to gain a greater ability of self control. The daily temptations bother him less and less with each agonizing day, he grows only closer. Muscles ache and strain with every motion of his body, coinciding with a week of no food, it is a wonder how he is still standing. Strength seems to be endless, and only increases rather than logically fail. His body explodes with power, and yet without a source of power. One would think he is plugged into an outlet or runs on gasoline. Wisdom of life is seen in his eyes, dust and dirt swirls around his work, his soul shines bright through the cloudy haze. He has a lot to give, anyone can see this without even a word spoken from his mouth.
Moving from task to task effortlessly is astonishing, and as the dirt and dust beat on sun soaked bare skin, with shovels, hammers and tools he maintains and builds what he loves. With each hammer swing a new piece of furniture for his family to rest themselves on. Every hole dug for vegetation feeds the mouth of hungry children that work along side him everyday. Every room remodeled so that they might just be a little more comfortable in a well built home. What drives a man to work this hard and be able to withstand such pain?
He walks with a walk only few really truly know and understand. It is a walk of peace and serenity that allows our human form to withstand more than we know. He walks through that dust storm shinning, and able to be seen clearly. A light has been given to him that is his light and his alone, it is something that can not be blown out if protects it. This is a light that burns deep and bright through darks times. Even if it is hard to see this light it still burns strong. No one can measure it or even replace it because it is not of man. It gives us joy and peace when none is to be found in sight; the light creates joy and peace for us. He walks with this, he speaks with this, he loves with this and he lives with this light given to him.
A gift given by the one true God is a blessing; a light given to by him is hard to understand. A promise he gave us is everlasting, but we can not ever grasp the level in which this is true. Wisdom is given to us through words left by a father for us to follow. It gives us guidance, it gives us strength, it gives us peace and it gives us a light. A light to shine through dark tunnels of earth as it caves in around you. A promise to give us honest and true hope unlike this earth has ever seen. He gives us wisdom through a book that holds true through changing times, which can lift our spirits and allow us to speak with him. We were created as creatures just shy of the angels, we know God as they can never know him, God created us and redeemed us. We are his only creatures to know God as creator and redeemer, and that is our gift from him.

A Real Education

In reading a wonderful book, which was recommended to me through a grandfather figure, “The Education of a Wandering Man” by Louis L’amour was an eye opening experience into this writers mind. The book is filled with anecdotal stories of Mister L’amour’s life and as the title describes his education. Being an informally educated man myself it was easy to draw in close with his story. Though my travels are a extensive, nor as adventurous as the great novelist’s, but my spirit and love for education is similar to his. In his, what I call a biography, there is much description of books he read over time while working as a longshoreman and on shipping vessels. He describes them in such detail it seems they are freshly read, but all honesty at the time this book was written it probably had been a good forty years later. Books were found everywhere he went, on boxcars, ships, old apartments, mining claims and the local library. He took the initiative to educate himself. This book has one reoccurring themes that resonated with me, and believe with most people.
Mister L’amour in his book advocates education strongly, although not being a formally educated man, he endorses the universities. However, that being said, he makes a wonderful point in this book that the education system we see is executed poorly. This is not an attack on teachers by any means, but simply an attack on the “cookie cutter” education used in today’s schools. It is not the same for everyone. This is not an attack on teachers by any means, but simply an attack on the “cookie cutter” education used in today’s schools. It is not the same for everyone. Being a survivor of the public school system I can testify to his point. Being a student with a learning disability, which I would rather keep private, it is sufficed to say standardized testing does not fit in my realm. However, this is not taken into account when the brain trusts of the school system make their test. You are either student type A or B, but there is no room for L or M. So I have found self education, reading what I can and where I can and as much as possible the best method for me. I believe this is part of the problem in today’s society. We are not truly allowed to think freely. This so called free thinking education has become so standardized and conformed that students are smothered of any creativity, except what brain trusts find creative. On a final note, and something to think about, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein and Louis L’amour…all self educated men of their time, and that should make the case.