Modern Blind Spots

C. S. Lewis made a fascinating observation about how all cultures have specific blind spots unique to their specific moment. Ours certainly does. Thankfully, Lewis doesn’t just state the problem but proposes an intriguing solution. 

"Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books."  

What brings clarity to our modern blind spots? Old books from those not under the exact fog we face. Ironically, those old books would now include works by C. S. Lewis himself. Why not read one from this brilliant thinker? Many are familiar with Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia. But consider others, like The Great Divorce, The World’s Last Night or The Space Trilogy (especially the last novel in the series That Hideous Strength). 

I’ll give Haruki Murakami the last word on the topic: “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

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