A few years back I read an article that outlined 3 fool-proof tips that would be certain to get your online article noticed and “clicked”: 1) Write about a current controversy — thus an article on Dr. Seuss; 2) When possible, use a numeric list to promote your ideas (*i.e. 5 Ways To…, 8 Never Fail Methods…, 10 Best…, etc.); and 3) If all else fails to garner attention, add the word “TRUMP” somewhere in the title (*Sorry to disappoint, “Trump” has nothing, whatsoever, to do with this post, other than seeing if there is any merit to this advice).
Last week, beloved children’s author, whimsical wordsmith, and creative cartoonist Dr. Seuss maid headlines, when what would have been his 117th birthday, his estate announced they were no longer making six of his classic works available due to problematic racial stereotyping. This set-off an ensuing firestorm of controversy for those who have nothing better to fret about. As much as I have always loved and continue to love Dr. Seuss, what this contention stirred in me, was to try and conceive my own childhood, and those of our three daughters, absent the ever-present influence of Dr. Seuss. As I pondered this, I soon began to think through a number of the grateful lessons I learned from Theodor Seuss Geisel (A.K.A. Dr. Seuss):
10 — How To Read
By far the most important practical lesson, and I image the the majority English speaking children along with me, learned the great gift of reading with the help of Dr. Seuss. I know there were many “early reader” books I was forced to struggle through as a kid, but I can only remember a select few. Outside of Mr. Mugs books (*Anyone else Remember Mr Mugs readers?), the only other books I can still recall are from the imagination of Dr. Seuss. Books like, Hop on Pop; or, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; and of course, who can forget, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Even though I found Mr. Mugs as pretty Illuminating literature, once I began to read for myself, I do not ever remember seeking to discover further works by this astoundingly anodyne anonymous author. However, I was always intrigued to further search out and absorb the additional artifacts of Dr. Seuss.
9 — Treat The Environment With Respect
Ahead of its time, published in 1971, I doubt there is a more convincing treatise written anywhere on the importance for properly caring for our planet. Dr. Seuss, dazzlingly diagnoses the primary degeneration of our precious environment is due, both to the corporate greed and expansion for the purpose of personal profit over planetary protection, along with our own insatiable indulgence in trivial trinkets. Despite Seuss’ clarion call for care; the Doctor does not end his timeless tale with an impending picture of an apocalyptic Malthusian dystopia (*Yes — I did just write, “apocalyptic Malthusian dystopia” in an article on Dr. Seuss — I couldn’t resist!!! Don’t worry, the rest of this post is far less dense than these last two sentences), which seems to be a current infatuation for environmental narratives. Rather, Seuss ends his prophetic parable by emphasizing hope. Seuss’ Lorax does not advocate for top down bureaucracy, or global climate accords to sort out our problem, much more importantly, he emphasizes personal responsibility:
“And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with one word, ‘UNLESS’… Now that you are here the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear, UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. So catch… You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula seeds. And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”
Beautiful — Priceless & Perfect!
8 — Don’t Judge Others Based On Outside Appearances
The vanity of humanity is the virus that has plagued this planet for its entirety. Whether it be the separation of the races, or the separation of the classes, every culture has arranged itself with those who are “in” and those who our “out.” Tragically, this has only ever led to hostility and hurt. Let’s thank our lucky stars for Seuss’ story of the “Star-Bellied Sneetches,” who after great expense and heartache, finally learn: “That Sneetches are Sneetches, and no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.” Let’s pray our world also discovers the same lesson sooner than later.
7 — Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something New
“You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say.”
“Sam! If you let me be, I will try them. You will see…”
“Say I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am! And I would eat them in a boat. And I would eat them with a goat. And I will eat them, in the rain… (I think you get the point). “I do like green eggs and ham! Thank You! Thank you, Sam-I-Am!”
And thank you Dr. Seuss for stressing to us, the importance to stretch and step outside our comfort zones!
6 — Protect The Vulnerable At All Cost
“A person’s is a person, no matter how small.” Amen Horton!
5 — Life Is Full Of Unexpected Ups & Downs
I believe there might be a legal requirement, which mandates all college graduation ceremonies recite Dr. Seuss’, Oh, The Places You’ll Go. If there is no legal statute, maybe there should be, because this book probably contains more wisdom than what most students would receive in their four years of study. No book, outside of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, more realistically expresses the high highs and low lows we all experience in life:
“Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest. Except when you don’t. Because, sometimes, you won’t. I’m sorry to say so, but, sadly, it’s true that bang ups and hang ups can happen to you. You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch. You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump, and the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump. And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done….
(But…) “With banner fin-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of guy!”
4 — Compromise Is Better than Stubbornness
One of Dr. Seuss’ lesser known treasures is a short little tale entitled, The Zax.
“One day, making tracks in the prairie of Prax, came a North-Going Zax and a South-Going Zax. And it happened that both of them came to a place where they bumped. There they stood. Foot to foot. Face to face.”
As you read along, neither Zax was willing to budge, not an inch to the left, not an inch to the right. So there they stood, and there they still stand, “Two stubborn Zax… un-budged in their tracks.” And sadly because of their pig-headed pride, the world around them continues to grow, leaving these two lump-headed Zax, looking like fools unmoved from their tracks.
I am sure we have all known and had to deal with our own stubborn Zax — perhaps this story would make a meaningful memento to give them?
3 — “Perhaps Christmas Means A Little Bit More”
“It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Maybe Christmas (he thought) doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more.”
What would an article on Dr. Seuss be without a ‘shout-out’ to the Grinch? Heck — What would Christmas be without the Grinch? Seuss, who I don’t believe was overtly religious (and there are no explicit Christian overtones in Seuss’s seasonal sensation), however, he does help Whoville’s green grump, and every generation who hears this tale, learn, Christmas is far more meaningful than crude commercialism and conspicuous consumption!
2 — Ambition & Pride Is Often Built On The Backs Of Others
“Yertle the turtle was king of the pond.” But there is one thing King Yertle lacked — an adequate throne, high enough to honour his elevated ego. To build his never quite tall enough edifice, like Egyptian pharaohs of old, Yertle constructs his ‘Pelomedusidae pedestal’ on the backs of his fellow turtles. And just as the book of James reminds us, “Pride,” indeed, “comes before the fall,” Seuss describes for us vividly the inevitable ending of Turtle King Yertle:
“For Yertle, the King of all Sala-ma-Sond, fell off his high throne and fell Plunk! Plunk in the pond! And to say the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see. And the turtles, of course… all the turtles are free as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.”
1 — The Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Whimsey Of Words
The final lesson I learned from our teacher, the wonderful, whimsical word Doctor, is really an extension of the very first lesson we all learned. Not only did Dr. Seuss help teach us to read, much more importantly, he taught us, reading could be, and ought to be, FUN! That words arranged in a delightful rhyming meter enhances the experience, elevates the story, and delivers smiles with every stanza — a little something I tried to attempt throughout this tribute!
I Am Curious???
What lessons have you learned from the creator of The Cat in the Hat?
