Background, Inspiration, and Goals.

Wow. I keep thinking more and more how daunting this task is. Reading through all the Great Books of Western Civilization. I just thank God that I'm not under a time limit. If you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's pretty simple. Like many people I want to accomplish something grand in my life. Become really well read and smart (among other things).

My Dad bought the Great Books set about 1 1/2 years back. It all came about from my interest in attending St. Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California. Sadly I wasn't able to attend (too expensive). But either way, I got my Dad interested in the idea of the Great Books. Soon enough we had them delivered. Some of the heaviest boxes I have ever had to carry. You could almost feel the weight of the knowledge. The second part comes more recently.

I was inspired by the book "The Know-It-All" by A. J. Jacobs. This guy wanted to become smart by reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. I look at the cover, and the books look exactly like the Great Books collection (but with different titles). That reminded me of the amazing books that were collecting dust on the shelves. Then it was simple. This guy read all that?! Well... I'm going to read all this! Plus, I find myself with a lot of free time (it helps).

What am I hoping to accomplish with this? A good question for the start of a journey.

1. Finish them all. Which should help me come away with a more agile mind (fingers crossed).
2. Maybe write a book to help others find their way through the Great Books. I know that I'm totally lost starting out. The best plan I have is to go straight through from start to finish.
3. Maybe rack up some fans on the internet.
4. Maybe even make some money if it catches on. But remember... it's really all about the knowledge. I can already hear the chuckles for that one.

Now I'm sitting at my laptop. The first book in front of me. Let's get started. That's right. Let's= Let us. You're in this too if you want to be. "Abandon All Hope Ye Who" Read With Me. That's kinda from the Great Books.