Carole Maso Reading

“It's greater than we are, than we'll ever be. That's why I love it. Kneeling at the altar of the impossible. The self put back in its proper place.

The miracle of language. The challenge and magic of language.”

This quote struck me among the cacophony of Carole Maso’s thoughts. It hits at the reason I love literature as well as the reason I feel compelled to teach. Language is always greater than we because as soon as it reaches people, no matter what its original intentions, it will be perceived in infinite and unimaginable ways. Every person who reads something will interpret it based on her unique life experiences and values. So every time literature emerges in the world, it immediately transcends the individual and becomes a symphony of collective thoughts, feelings, and unique inspirations for readers as a whole. We are at the mercy of our peers when we dive into the written word, and I don’t believe my peers, the rest of the reading world, will ever disappoint. They take us to incredible places hidden within the imagination—“the altar of the impossible”—places that demonstrate again and again the mind’s humbling limitlessness. I agree that this phenomenon is a miracle, but to appreciate it, I really do need to pull myself back in place and appreciate the fact that the same lines I read are read by so many others who take so much more from it that I. I especially need to keep this in mind when I teach, so as to keep my mind open and learn from the perspectives of my students. Teachers are never so awful as when they oppose their views onto everyone else, and this quote reminds me never to do so.