I must confess, David is a hottie.  He is an ideal human form, and it doesn’t hurt that he is cast in marble.  There is a lot of muscle definition, and he looks as if he could simply walk off his pedestal and join society as an elite athlete.  Although I have yet to go to Florence, it is on the list, and we may go late 2018, depending on our other list items.  Yes, I would travel every week if given the chance, but alas, like most people I have to work.  I have seen the replica in Las Vegas, and many smaller statues in gift shops in Italy and elsewhere.  It’s a fantastic statue.

I also must confess that I get the majority of my news from a variety of left and right-sided Twitter feeds, news stories posted by various news outlets on Facebook, and the local Sunday paper.  I don’t watch the news unless someone I know is featured, and I almost never watch the national news unless there is some tragedy going on.  I have found it’s better for my sanity if I can pick and choose from the headlines instead of being bombarded with “Who’s Who in Shootings” every day.

Today (12/30/17) on Twitter, there was a story that I chose to read about a teacher in Utah who was fired for showing his fifth and sixth grade students (GASP!) postcard-sized photos of Renaissance art.  For those with sensitive eyes, you’ve probably already scrolled on past my blog due to the viciously naked nature of David, but for those of the rest of you who appreciate good art and history, you can probably guess that this story made my eyes rolls nearly to the back of my skull.  The teacher, you see, was apparently fired for showing what one parent considered “porn” in these art photos.  While I can appreciate that parents have the rights to raise their children as they see fit, that doesn’t mean that everyone should have to conform to that parent’s idea of how ALL children should be raised.  My own kids have been to various art museums, seen many “naked” statues, and not one time have they every told either of us that they were offended by the beauty depicted through this art.  Maybe it’s because neither of us are.  Maybe it’s because both of us revel in the historical significance of everyday things, beautiful things, and art, sculpture, and mummies.  In essence, the true Renaissance nude human form, be it in a statue or painted piece, is not porn.  It’s art.  It’s also a showmanship of great skill.  I would venture a guess that this parent probably believes that Dogs Playing Poker is good wholesome art, fit for any eyes, and that every piece of art should show covered images only.  Oh how much the child or children of this parent must be missing out in daily life.

I also believe in adventure, as my blog title states.  I believe that every person should get out of his or her comfort zone, even if just a little bit.  I believe that people should experience all that life has to offer, in whatever form they can afford.  There are many museums that are close by to millions of people, many who never go into a single one of them.  There is a whole world of internet available, showing these things to people who cannot travel.  There are books in the libraries in every town in America big enough to have a library, which number 119,000+ in the United States alone.  There is Amazon video, YouTube, and the History Channel – all of which have excellent programs on history, art, the Renaissance, the Impressionist movement, and pieces on travel to just about anywhere you would ever want to go.  There really is almost zero excuse for not opening up your mind and your world, and there is zero excuse for keeping your children from doing the same.  In my opinion, it’s a disservice to your children to keep them so sheltered that they can’t even go to the grocery store because they *might* see something you don’t want them to see.

One of my favorite quotes is Mark Twain’s, which says,”Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”  I bet this Utah parent is just fine with his or her kids vegetating in his or her garden, keeping far far away from the evils of history.  Sad, really.

I hope the teacher is reinstated.  If not, I hope he is hired by a top-notch museum with beautiful Renaissance artworks, where he can use his talents to help educate those whose parents aren’t closed-minded people who only see what they want to see.  I hope the children in that class can come to terms with their teacher being fired for such a stupid reason.  I also hope they are able to learn about this art in the future.  Heck, I hope that this teacher’s firing inspires one of them to go into art or history and bring that knowledge back to this town in Utah who apparently doesn’t believe that it should be taught.

We travel not to say that we did, but to seek out new adventures every time we go.  We eat at restaurants off the beaten path whenever possible. We stay in parts of towns that are not so touristy if possible.  We do the tourist things, like riding a gondola in Venice, but we also do the non-tourist things, like eating at a little Italian cafe in Murano and finding it fun to somewhat struggle with the menu written all in Italian.  We have had espresso in Tunisia, in a hotel that wasn’t really friendly to Americans.  We have gone to Wakiki but stayed in Pearl City away from the crowds.  We have gained so much knowledge and insight to other cultures, met so many insanely cool people, and had a damn good time doing it all.

We may have even looked at a few Renaissance paintings in Paris, Italy, and New York City.  And, yes, we survived and find ourselves better for it.