In honor of Dr. Seuss' belated birthday, today's quote is from possibly the greatest children's book of all time; The Lorax. Now, I understand that there is a movie about this 'blessing from heaven.' If you haven't read it, but have seen the movie, reflect on your actions, and read the book; Reviews from this movie are—as usual—in a non-agreement stage. But that's no reason that the book is bad. Movies are usually a poor representation of what the author actually wanted to portray, but that's for another time. Back to the Seusster, Even books written by him in the 1960s, are still extremely popular, and have great lessons for kids (and maybe some adults too). And I for one, am ecstatic that this quote was included if not in the movie, then at least the preview:
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing's going to get better, it's not."
Wise words Dr. Seuss, wise words indeed. Not only is is radical and inspirational, it also rhymes! Need I say more? I don't think so, but I will anyway. The funny thing about Dr. Seuss' books is that he never wrote them with a moral in mind, or so he claims. He said that "Kids can see a moral a mile away." That's very true; Hansel and Gretel, don't go into strange people's houses, especially ones made out of candy; Little Red Ridding Hood, don't talk to strangers, especially the wolves; Goldilocks and the Three Bears, don't go into someone's house eat their porridge, and sleep in their bed. Although Dr. Seuss didn't write specifically with a moral in mind, the Lorax is heavy propaganda against pollution and has numerous environmental elements in it; I think this quote can be applied to topics other than 'saving the trees.' It is very general, no hint of petroleum or green energy is to be found. The word 'nothing' is vague enough that people can generalize and apply the concept to oodles of other things. For example, issues such as women's suffrage, the civil rights movement, and the abolition of slavery, etc. would have never happened unless someone cared. But because someone—or someones—said, "(topic) is not just! (topic) is not fair!" something was changed, something got better. And that's what this quote is really all about, standing up for what's right and changing things for the better.
