We\u2019ve long had an affinity for the word \u201cfascinating.\u201d It\u2019s a great word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best thing about it is that it\u2019s neither good nor bad. It carries no inherent positivity or negativity. \u201cFascinating\u201d simply means irresistibly drawing someone\u2019s attention and interest. And plenty of things \u2014 both good and bad \u2014 do exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m fascinated by our adherence to childhood truths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, some deeply held childhood \u201ctruths\u201d weren\u2019t true at all: chewing gum doesn\u2019t stay in your stomach for seven years; you won\u2019t swallow eight spiders in your sleep this year; and the moon isn\u2019t made of cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But some truths endure. Sitting too close to the TV can strain your eyes. Carrots will aid your vision. And soap really does kill germs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And sometimes timeless truths arrive wrapped in something seemingly absurd \u2014 if we\u2019re willing to look closely enough. Take the Sneetches, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sneetches came to us 65 years ago through the iconic imagination of Theodor Seuss Geisel \u2014 known best to us as Dr. Seuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were furry, feathery, yellow, bird-like creatures who walked upright with arms instead of wings. In their community, there were two kinds: star-bellied Sneetches and plain-bellied Sneetches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The star-bellied Sneetches were considered elite; the plain-bellied were shunned. Each group judged the other and was grateful not to be the other. As Seuss wrote of the star-bellied Sneetches: \u201cWith their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they\u2019d snort, \u2018We\u2019ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came a traveling salesman \u2014 better identified as a smooth-talking con artist \u2014 calling himself \u201cthe Fix-It-Up Chappie.\u201d N\u00e9e Sylvester McMonkey McBean offered the plain-bellied Sneetches a chance to imprint stars on their stomachs using his \u201cStar-On <\/em>machine.\u201d Only three dollars each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust pay me your money and hop right aboard!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So they did. The plain-bellied Sneetches got their stars and, with them, access to elite status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the original star-bellied Sneetches feared losing what they perceived made them special. Ever the opportunist, McBean introduced his \u201cStar-Off<\/em> machine.\u201d Removing stars, however, cost ten dollars each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon Sneetches were running everywhere \u2014 stars on, stars off, then on and off again. Chaos followed. Judgment flourished. Their community fractured because they focused more on their differences than their shared humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually, though, the Sneetches realized the foolishness belonged to all of them, stars or no stars. By justifying reasons to look down on one another, they were destroying their own community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Sneetches got really quite smart on that day\u2026 The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A childhood truth that remains true today \u2014 and one we could still stand to learn from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve long had an affinity for the word \u201cfascinating.\u201d It\u2019s a great word. The best thing about it is that it\u2019s neither good nor bad. It carries no inherent positivity or negativity. \u201cFascinating\u201d simply means irresistibly drawing someone\u2019s attention and interest. And plenty of things \u2014 both good and bad \u2014 do exactly that. I\u2019m … <\/p>\n