Bonfire of the Vanities

In Florence in 1497, when the city was under the rule of the Dominican priest Savonarola, he ordered the burning of objects that some church authorities considered sinful, such as cosmetics, mirrors, books, and art.He was responsible for the destruction of secular art and culture. He was condemned as a heretic and schismatic by the Pope & the church, and sentenced to die. He was hanged while a fire was ignited below to consume his body. To prevent devotees from searching for relics, his ashes were scattered in the Arno.

The idea of such destruction seems over the top today, but perhaps we should consider what we would consign to the Bonfire now. I immediately thought of the all pervasive mobile phone. Just how beneficial is it to be instantly available almost anywhere in the world? What is the downside of that availability? Is it good to be constantly stimulated at any time of the day or night by video games like Fortnite or Pokemon Go? Do we need to have constant access to news streamed from around the world? Are we incapable of just observing what is going on around us & interacting with real people?

I've just seen "Hansard" streamed live from the National Theatre. It was a "tour de force" of acting. The cinema was packed & everyone was riveted for one hour & forty minutes of a two hander with no interval. The audience veered between laughter & tears. Our Culture is precious, we should never forget what the Arts give us. But we are in danger of losing them, of consigning them to the Bonfire. Government interference & underfunding of education means that the Arts probably only really flourish in independent schools. State schools are too strapped for cash & teachers.

As for books, I would be lost without books by my bedside & in my sitting room. But the statistics are very worrying - Nine million adults in the UK are functionally illiterate, and one in four British five-year-olds struggles with basic vocabulary. Three-quarters of white working class boys fail to achieve the government’s benchmark at the age of 16. They don't throw books on the Bonfire. They simply don't have access to read them.

Alongside all of this how much do we spend on cosmetics? On average, in 2018 we each spent £482.51 a year on beauty products – that works out at £2.39 per person per day. Personally I would definitely consign a lot of these to the Bonfire. I prefer women to look like real women not some artificial Barbie doll.

We need to think what we truly value & protect it. If we don't we will lose it & it will be too late. We do need to consign some things to the Bonfire, but we need to be careful.

It's a dilemma that is happening today.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/04/polish-priest-apologises-for-harry-potter-book-burning