Pressure

I just went to Borders and I saw tons of books like “1001 Paintings to see before you die” and “100 Places you must visit”. I felt like I was going to get a panic attack right between the annoying kid’s section and the philosophy section with all those dusty books that nobody buys. That was not the way I pictured myself going and how can I die now? I absolutely have not seen any of the pictures in that book, nor have I visited 100 places! Are books nowadays getting bossy or do shoppers just need more push to buy books during the recession? Are we going to start getting titles like “Buy me now or die”, “1 Book to read before dying and that’s me”, or maybe even something to the tune of “Visit these 100 places now or burn in Hell”.

Is Borders the new church? Are devotees going to face preaching books telling us we are not living our lives to the fullest? Are they going to install alarm systems to shame you once you pick up a tabloid magazine? I feel the kind of pressure that I’ve never felt before in a book store. Or maybe I’m just ashamed that I’ve not seen any of the 1001 paintings in that book and I’m afraid I may die tomorrow. What is going to happen if I die without doing as the book says? I should really go to church tomorrow.

~ by seow on April 6, 2009.