they killed my mockingbird

i had been reading "to kill a mockingbird" (for the third time, or was it the fourth) these last few days. its been a few years now since i last read it and to my surprise the bally book has changed. the first time i read it i thought that it was pretty good, the second time i realized it was pretty good. but this time around it didnt strike the same chords. scout didnt move me, atticus didnt impress me. its probably diminishing utility at work but i wonder if its more than that. have i become more cynical...

i wonder whether it is better to feel or not to - as in when u see someone moved to tears by one of those popcorn patriotism movies and u think to yourself, "god! how can they fall for that!". well isnt it better to feel something than not to feel at all? are we turning ourselves into voids that let stuff just pass through and stand by as objective analysts judging each thing by its merit; rather than wallowing in them and thoroughly enjoying ourselves by absorbing the little things in life? have we killed our mockingbird? anywayz, the book would still be up there in my list of "best books i've read". one can never forget stuff like "I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." and then there is the big question of whether miss maudie had a thing for atticus ;-) and check out the image. learnt the image hosting thing from vaishalee (dunno who), and all in all its pretty neat. boy! read the second para again... what crap!!! :-)