City - Seatonville State - WEE ILLINOIS Country - United States
About
I was sitting (years and years ago) in a college classroom and the professor asked this question, “Can you name any person you know, or have heard of who changed your life?” I sat a few moments and thought (not a mean feat for me) and came up with a name. I was about to raise my hand when the Prof. continued with, “For me it was Simon Wiesenthal. Do you know who he is?” I did. I held my peace. I let him go on to tell the uninformed others about the Holocaust and Nazi atrocities and Mr. Wiesenthal… the Nazi hunter. I could appreciate why the Prof. was moved by this man. I understood the human factor and such… but my choice for a life altering person was a bit more… pedestrian. I have always understood the human need to have great, near mythical role-models… I, personally, have seldom taken that route. After listening to the Prof. explain his reasons for having such a respect for Mr. Wiesenthal, I raised my hand. I was noted, nodded to, and responded with the name, “Edgar Rice Burroughs.” There was a quick forming frown on the face of the Teach… either he was confused why I had such a lesser known person on the top of my list or he had no idea who Mr. Burroughs was. I went on to say, “He started writing in his late 30’s… and managed to give the world a character that will live forever… Tarzan.” Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, ok,…. I understand Tarzan and Josef Mengele are not exactly on the same playing field… but if I was asked about life altering human beings… Burroughs did it for me. Edgar took me to the old west; he carried me to medieval times. He took me to Venus with Carson and Mars with Carter… and to the darkest regions of Africa with Lord Greystoke (John Clayton III [Tarzan]) E.R. Burroughs stimulated my brain in ways never before experienced. I love the Tarzan novels. I do not care if they are considered campy and intellectually diminutive… I do not care… I love the Tarzan books. Yes… I have the classics at my fingertips. I have Plato and Dickens and Kant and Nietzsche and Zola and on and on and on. I have read all of them. I have taken what they offer and assimilated the bits and parts. I have thought and talked and wondered about all the great authors… Yet, when I raised my hand… “Edgar Rice Burroughs” came from my lips. So, this bit of pic snapping is nothing more than to say, “I read the classics… I love Burroughs.”
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