Impact

I was reading someone's meme which included a listing of books that most impacted them. I found the choices interesting and mostly trivial. Personally there are very few books of fiction that I would be willing to say had an impact on my life. Because they are fiction. Someone's little fantasy world. It's fun but how does it change me or move me? Personally I get greater impact from the newspaper.

Maybe I expect too much of impact. Impact to me is the book I never returned to my 6th grade classroom containing stories and essays on Courage. Yes, I'm a thief but it meant too much to me to give back. I'd like to think it was one of the ropes I held onto during my depressed teen years. I still pull it out and enjoy the stories, though 33 years later they are mostly memorized.

It's the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

It's first person accounts of the survivors of tragedies.

It's the story I read about Golden Gate Bridge suicide attempt survivors. Wow did that have an impact. Bridge jumping was always one of my fantasy ways to off myself. The survivors quote that as he jumped the triviality of all his problems was clear, except for the one where he had just jumped off the bridge. That really stuck.

Perhaps I'm too pompous about this stuff. Perhaps that's why I don't do many memes. Perhaps too pompus for my own good.