10 August 2011

I, Pencil ~ Read's Homage to Human Freedom!

Just now I found again Leonard E. Read's epic 1958 essay I, Pencil...
"I am a lead pencil -- the ordinary wooden pencil familiar to all boys and girls and adults who can read and write. Writing is both my vocation and my avocation; that’s all I do. You may wonder why I should write a genealogy. Well, to begin with, my story is interesting. And, next, I am a mystery -- more so than a tree or a sunset or even a flash of lightning. But, sadly, I am taken for granted by those who use me, as if I were a mere incident and without background. This supercilious attitude relegates me to the level of the commonplace. This is a species of the grievous error in which mankind cannot too long persist without peril..."
Read the rest! And if you desire more mundane visuals, view this... (Thanks to hipstomp at Core77 for spotting this)

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