Orlando

I was in Orlando this past week and was able to spend some time at one of my favorite churches (and bookstores). If you are ever in the area, the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe is worth the visit.

While I was in Orlando, the entire town was enraptured with the Casey Anthony murder. Sad. Well, the story is sad, but so is the fact that people get so caught-up in following these provocative stories. It brought back a scene in Jack Kerouac's book, The Dharma Bums, when he was walking down a street and noticed that every family was watching the same thing on TV. It's a sad commentary on our culture that we spend so much passive time in front of the TV and enraptured in events which really have no bearing on our own lives.

I'm currently reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book, In The First Circle. In it, he mentions that spectator sports will make imbiciles of his society. Now, I love watching sports and attend most Georgia Tech football and basketball games, not to mention games at my alma mater, Furman University. But Solzhenitsyn has a point. It's possible to entertain yourself to death, as Neil Postman addresses in his book.