A Life Lesson

Reading "Ishmael" opens a whole new world of perceptions and concepts, even if your teacher is a gorilla, he has amazing credibility and wisdom. Every time a teacher, a parent, a friend or any member of your social circle points out a problem you have in your life; they seem to be saying that the only responsible one and the only one to whom this issue will affect and apply is you. Instead "Ishmael" is that type of book which opens other possibilities, showing that from and where society has come to, is humanities superiority complex's fault and it is society's responsibility to find a solution as a whole. One thing is to know a law of aerodynamics and something completely different is to believe a law. Ishmael takes the concepts of laws to apply them to your own life. "Every law has effects or it wouldn't be discoverable as a law." -Pg. 103

Society's intense media teaches, convinces and makes us to believe that we are the greatest creation on the planet because we have literature and history and all kinds of man-made excuses for our fallacies and self-absorption which "Ishmael" is devoted to uncover and show. "Even if man's home was stuck off in the boondocks, they could still believe he was the central figure in the drama of creation." -Pg. 103

Daniel Quinn criticizes society's structures and creations because of it's selfishness, narrow views and expansionist plans. "Trial and error isn't a bad way to learn how to build a aircraft, but it is a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization." -Pg. 103
It is hard to accept that our daily life is based on lies to support our own importance and our domination. This book confronts the basis of what is wrong and right. This book has had a huge effect on what I believe of our own importance and our place in comparison to other species. It is clear that Ishmael's commitment to the reader is to find a way of life to apply to society's way of expanding in the world so that it doesn't damage itself or others. It would apply to all species. "Those species that do not live in compliance with the law become extinct." -Pg. 103

Quinn gives us a word paradox through the book. "With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?" "With gorilla gone will there be hope for man?" -Pg. 262, 263 It can be interpreted that man will exterminate all other species, the question being, can man survive with no other living being than himself? It can also be seen that humans will end up being swallowed by their own greed as many other world ruling species have, the question being, will the extermination of gorillas be next?

I look forward to reading what Quinn has up his long, deep sleeve. Such a trans formative book has to have a powerful ending. How will "Ishmael" end?