When we were children, we all enjoyed the zany stories Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated. But the older I get, the more profound truth I find in those stories. I look at habitat destruction and economic greed and think of The Lorax. I learn about Communism and have a new appreciation for Yurtle the Turtle. I look at discrimination and inequity and think of Horton Hears a Who. Conflicts between countries and political parties remind me of the north-going Zax and the south-going Zax. Prejudice and prejudgment bring to mind Green Eggs and Ham.
These days, I'm struck by the appropriateness of The Sneetches. What a metaphor for what's going on with the vaccination argument! Whether you're one with a star or not, I hope our story can end equally amiably. With an elbow-bump, maybe, instead of a handshake.
I'm going to go back and reread all of my old Dr. Seuss. And the ones that haven't got modern-day parallels that I can see -- well, give it time. He hasn't been wrong yet.
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