Prepare for a great story
Most associate Albert Einstein, one of the smartest contributors to the sum of human knowledge, with science. Did you know he credited fiction and imagination with scientific thought?
The humanities inspire discovery.
"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking." - Albert Einstein
The humanities - literature, art, language, speculative thinking, ethics, history, the critical study of man and his motivations - give meaning to fact. Knowledge of fact alone is only half of an unsolved equation; the humanities help us determine what to do with it. These workings of imagination are no luxuries, but essential to the health and success of both individual and community.
The humanities save lives.
Did you know the stories of the Inuit - an indigenous and ancient civilization in North America - inform the Canadian national weather service? Government scientists rely on traditional Innuit stories to supplement measured data when trying to predict arctic weather patterns.
Civilization's leaders were slow to realize the value of the humanities until, during that Aquarian revolution known as the '60s, the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities were created, providing grants to organizations such as the Idaho Humanities Council. Since 1973, IHC "seeks to deepen understanding of human experience by connecting people with ideas, by encouraging civility and good citizenship, and by initiating community conversations about ideas that enlighten us about the past and light our way toward wisdom and a meaningful future."
The humanities expand minds.
IHC not only provides grants, but partners with schools and libraries to offer reading programs, summer institutes for teachers who then sow the seeds in classrooms reaped for generations, and Smithsonian Exhibits which take America's historical treasures on a road trip. IHC's speakers bureau also brings nationally and internationally "distinguished lecturers" to their annual dinners.
The humanities entertain.
These lectures are never dry. One year Gandhi's grandson regaled us with inspiring and funny tales of the famous lawyer-turned-peacemaker who led India to independence. That audience will never look at a pencil the same way. Another was the New York Times bestselling creator of fictional detective V. I. Warshawski; Sara Paretski created the prototype feminist-yet-feminine cop. Who sings arias and plays piano after a good fist fight, naturally.
The speakers are often Pulitzer and other prize-winning journalists or authors. Fiction or nonfiction, invariably they are great storytellers. Stories help us to better understand ourselves and each other. The human experience is, after all, a story.
The humanities tell our stories.
On Thursday, Oct. 2, IHC brings the bestselling author of "Beautiful Ruins," Jess Walter (who happens to be from Spokane), to The Coeur d'Alene Resort. This is a work of fiction, but like all great literature, reviewers call it a sensitive and perceptive expression of human truths. Press editor Mike Patrick just read "Beautiful Ruins" and called it "beautiful writing" - a rarely bestowed compliment. To read before the Oct. 2 dinner it's probably too late for Amazon, thank goodness, but you can pick up "Beautiful Ruins" or several other Walter novels and support your new, independent bookseller at The Well-Read Moose in Riverstone.
For dinner tickets or more information about IHC, see Idahohumanities.org or call (888) 345-5346. In any case, check out The Well-Read Moose (new books plus coffee shop) and Browser's Books (used and rare). We're too big and too supportive a community to let our remaining independent booksellers die. The stories must go on - with or without electricity.
Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who prefers paper to plastic. Contact her at sholeh@cdapress.com.