Presentations and reality

I've truly enjoyed all of the group presentations we've had in class but the one that was most intresting to me was the books vs reality debate that one of the groups held. I did feel that the actual debate could have been handled a little more professionally but that's not as important as the core issue that was discussed. I am personally very torn over this subject and was convinced of neither side's superiority during the debate.

On one hand I love reading and literature, some of my favorite memories and places come from books and even the activity of reading is very relaxing to me. The characters created by some authors are people that I know better than some of my close friends and are undoubtedly real in my mind. The grimy feel of London in Great Expectations, the space station in Ender's Game, Hogwarts of Harry Potter fame, all of these places exist in my mind and I personally know the characters that inhabit them.

On the other hand I've had some undeniably real experiences in my life. Running pell-mell down a mountain during a torrential rainstorm, careening down a snow covered face, exploding through white water rapids. These are things that I feel must be experienced first hand, not read about. I've read plenty of books about mountaineering but that doesn't mean I've climbed the worlds tallest most difficult peaks. I've never experienced an atmosphere so thin I need supplemental oxygen to put one foot in front of the other or actually pulled on a pair of crampons. These and things like them are all experiences that must be had, not read about.

I don't believe there is a black and white answer to this question, there is truth to both sides. You can achieve a greater understanding, a richer experience by reading about something rather than being there but there is something that reading and the imagination cannot recreate and that is true physical experience.