According to C.S. Lewis, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit [one]" and I could not agree more. Yet, if teacups were bottomless and books never-ending, the unique pleasure of refilling cups and opening new chapters would be out of reach... There is a certain kind of joy in finding a new flavour of tea or stumbling upon a new book. The longing for a never-ending book or a bottomless cup of tea might be tempting, yet both the book and the bottomless cup would certainly lose their appeal if they were displayed in front of one's eyes with no end in sight. In other words, reading involves an effort resulting in conscious joy and satisfaction. It involves a profound sense of imagination which technology - the bottomless cup of incessant gratification, cannot offer. If you cannot imagine the world without all sorts of technological devices, just think of the world without imagination - and what a dreadful blank space it would be. Not having the ability to imagine entails losing the self and any power of perceiving life as a coherent act of creativity. What saves imagination is not the technological cup of effortless gratification, but the old-time books. And Bunky knows it...
Bunky and I adore autumn. We believe that it is the most elegant, charming, peaceful and mysterious season of all (even though, naturally, we also love the remaining three seasons). Let's think about October: there is a unique anticipation in the air - a prelude to Christmas. In some ways, autumn is the season of book reading, as the process of reading is filled with 'autumnish' qualities: elegance, charm, peacefulness and mystery...
Bunky usually reads and writes outside, in the open air; somewhere where the colour of the sky reaches colorful, rustling leaves. The rustle of leaves mingles with the rustle of pages and Bunky can be wherever his imagination takes him, yet he is always free and not constrained by computers, low battery or tempting adds appearing on the screen. Bunky is free and does not own a computer. Yet, I am here, typing to tell you about Bunky and his limitless world of imagination; about the joy which he experiences while reading in the sun, while the air is filled with the beautiful scent of autumn leaves - the peaceful scent. While reading, Bunky is submerged in the rich world of colours, scents and lights - both around him and inside of him.
Although technology is very useful at times and it is difficult to imagine one's life without it, certainly it should not be the centre of one's existence. Even though technology can be stunningly impressive, it is still disappointingly too narrow for imagination. "Bunky and the Walms: The Christmas Story" is around 196 pages long. Why? Bunky and I would like to invite you to fully submerge yourself in the literary world and let your imagination roam freely... among rustling leaves, in the peaceful sunlight, in the tranquility of your home... anywhere it takes you, as long as you are free... After all, reading is the act of liberation from the world which sometimes disappoints. But it is also the act of returning to that world with images and thoughts formed during the reading process which might greatly enhance it and make it a much better place...
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