At the recent Tehelka London summit, an Indian murrabi addressed the muslims in the audience, he said we had the best Prophet, but things went really pear-shaped when we started burning books.
I'm all for knowledge, expanding it, embodying it and what not. But i also like fiery demonstrations in which nobody is harmed. In south asian culture burning stuff which belongs to you isn't particularly criminal.
Some might say i'm still smarting from an instance in my younger days where my ready to burn effigy of Sharon was sidelined for some equally ineffectual protest tactic. But i think this is fair game. Im not particularly bothered about the disgust of the overliterate. Besides nowadays with the printing press theres no danger of actually losing stuff.
I propose a book burning of important books that are wrong and evil. As a demonstration of ill will, following critique and whatnot, i think its a positive thing. Fuel is expensive these days.
We should have book burning award every year to function as some kind of celebration of human discernment. Of spotting whats true from false, guidance from mischief. There is too much chaff out there. Annual book burnings will symbolically purge the system. People who hear of them will wonder about the books in question and wonder why a group of readers saw fit to burn them, out of respect to the art or learning.
Do you reckon i could get lottery money for it?
