Before Al Gore, before fair trade coffee, before simple living, before bloggers, and certainly before any of this came crashing into my awareness, there was "The Young King", a short story by Oscar Wilde. I do not know much more than the standard about Mr. Wilde, but I have loved his stories since a child, and this was always one of my favourites. These days I find it more complex than I remember, and I don't really agree with the ending other than it is literary-wise the romantic thing to do, but I still love it. And the odd thing is, most of the arguments that I encounter against the choices that our little family makes for a simpler, greener, more connected life could be taken from characters in this story, verbatim. If you have time, I invite you to read it, as it is a pleasurable read, and a good place to start.
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Green and Wilde
Before Al Gore, before fair trade coffee, before simple living, before bloggers, and certainly before any of this came crashing into my awareness, there was "The Young King", a short story by Oscar Wilde. I do not know much more than the standard about Mr. Wilde, but I have loved his stories since a child, and this was always one of my favourites. These days I find it more complex than I remember, and I don't really agree with the ending other than it is literary-wise the romantic thing to do, but I still love it. And the odd thing is, most of the arguments that I encounter against the choices that our little family makes for a simpler, greener, more connected life could be taken from characters in this story, verbatim. If you have time, I invite you to read it, as it is a pleasurable read, and a good place to start.
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