"Oh the Thinks you can Think!"
Dr. Suess
You can think about red.
You can think about pink.
You can think up a horse.
Oh, the thinks you can think!
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
If you try, you can think up a guff going by.
And you don't have to stop, you can think about Schlopp.
Schlopp. Schlopp. Beautiful Schlopp. Beautiful schlopp with a cherry on top.
You can think about Night, a night in Na-Nupp.
The birds are asleep and the three moons are up.
You can think about Day, a day in Da-Dake.
The water is blue and the birds are awake.
Think! Think and wonder.
Wonder and think.
How much water can fifty-five elephants drink?
You can wonder... how long is the tail of a zong?
Think of Light.
Think of Bright.
Think of stairs in the night.
Think! Think a ship.
Think up a long trip.
Go visit the Vipper, the Vipper of Vip.
Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.
Despite Dr. Suess mostly being remembered as a children's author, there is much to be found in his oeuvre and in particular, the wisdom in the poem above is profound. Especially at this temporal moment. I'm sure this next claim is somewhat unfounded because to make a blanket statement is to do just that, but I believe we do not to a good job teaching our brothers and sisters how to think. We do a great job of teaching and telling people what to think though!
Thinking is the wandering journey that Dr. Suess describes. A complex adventure, if one is brave enough to dive deep, they may encounter both dark corridors with serious dangers as well as briefly glimpse the aspiring heights that the human spirit can climbs to. It's a journey that once begun, never has to end, if you properly stoke the fire of curiosity. Thinking is also exercise and entertainment. Thinking and creativity go hand in hand and these two stimulate innovation. There is a duty to your fellow man to think because unity does not mean conformity and to control the human mind is the final goal of the authoritarian.
Fun fact: Dr. Suess (Theodore Geisel) served in the military during WWII in the little known, Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Army Air Forces. Sometimes described as a propaganda film, "Your Job in Germany" which was later adapted into the film "Hitler Lives," won Geisel an Academy Award (Sources 1-3).
Having literally been given an award for his propaganda piece, I wonder what impact the years made on Geisel. "Oh the Thinks you can Think" was published in 1975 and in it, I think the good doctor demonstrates his vested interest in teaching children how to think since he truly understood the importance of the exercise.
Sources
Dr. Seuss ‘s Military Connection - Military Connection
Hitler Lives - Wikipedia
Geisel, Theodor Seuss 1904–1991 | Encyclopedia.com
Dr. Suess
You can think about red.
You can think about pink.
You can think up a horse.
Oh, the thinks you can think!
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
If you try, you can think up a guff going by.
And you don't have to stop, you can think about Schlopp.
Schlopp. Schlopp. Beautiful Schlopp. Beautiful schlopp with a cherry on top.
You can think about Night, a night in Na-Nupp.
The birds are asleep and the three moons are up.
You can think about Day, a day in Da-Dake.
The water is blue and the birds are awake.
Think! Think and wonder.
Wonder and think.
How much water can fifty-five elephants drink?
You can wonder... how long is the tail of a zong?
Think of Light.
Think of Bright.
Think of stairs in the night.
Think! Think a ship.
Think up a long trip.
Go visit the Vipper, the Vipper of Vip.
Think left and think right and think low and think high.
Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.
Despite Dr. Suess mostly being remembered as a children's author, there is much to be found in his oeuvre and in particular, the wisdom in the poem above is profound. Especially at this temporal moment. I'm sure this next claim is somewhat unfounded because to make a blanket statement is to do just that, but I believe we do not to a good job teaching our brothers and sisters how to think. We do a great job of teaching and telling people what to think though!
Thinking is the wandering journey that Dr. Suess describes. A complex adventure, if one is brave enough to dive deep, they may encounter both dark corridors with serious dangers as well as briefly glimpse the aspiring heights that the human spirit can climbs to. It's a journey that once begun, never has to end, if you properly stoke the fire of curiosity. Thinking is also exercise and entertainment. Thinking and creativity go hand in hand and these two stimulate innovation. There is a duty to your fellow man to think because unity does not mean conformity and to control the human mind is the final goal of the authoritarian.
Fun fact: Dr. Suess (Theodore Geisel) served in the military during WWII in the little known, Animation Department of the First Motion Picture Unit of the United States Army Air Forces. Sometimes described as a propaganda film, "Your Job in Germany" which was later adapted into the film "Hitler Lives," won Geisel an Academy Award (Sources 1-3).
Having literally been given an award for his propaganda piece, I wonder what impact the years made on Geisel. "Oh the Thinks you can Think" was published in 1975 and in it, I think the good doctor demonstrates his vested interest in teaching children how to think since he truly understood the importance of the exercise.
Sources
Dr. Seuss ‘s Military Connection - Military Connection
Hitler Lives - Wikipedia
Geisel, Theodor Seuss 1904–1991 | Encyclopedia.com
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