Cover the Names

We've all heard the expression, "You can't judge a book by its cover" or "What's in a name". Simple mantras that have been repeated through each generation of English speaking Humans to remind us to look past all the pretty ribbons and packaging to get a better understand of a subject's true nature. Sure, it's pretty and maybe it's poetic, but it is not universal.

Remove this system of thought from actual physical Human beings and we begin to understand that it has little credibility. I recently watched a video about the various covers for the book "Lolita" by the Distressed Watcher and it got me thinking about the implication and meaning behind all covers and titles for any form of popular expression. No matter what the cover is, even if it is nothing more than a solid color with the title and author's name, thought was still put into its construction. Money was spent by the company to choose the correct font, style, arrangement, and even the psychological meaning behind the color before sending it off to store shelves. The question then boils down to, "Why?" Why this hypocrisy? Why go to the lengths of telling people that this stuff has no importance but then make an immediate about-face?

The answer is simple and obvious to most of us. They do it because people in fact DO judge books by their covers. Titles to movies, video games, television shows, songs, and just about everything else gives us a good general idea of what to expect before we go that extra step and field test it ourselves. For me it's different. There's a greater importance to this stuff than meets the eye.

The overwhelming vast-majority of the time, the cover and title is probably all we'll ever know. Even a person who is a movie fanatic or a novel junkie can't read every masterpiece that has ever been created. We have to pick and choose and some things get left behind in the confusion.

Think about it for just a moment. Despite all the efforts the creator put into their work, most of us will never know a thing about it. All the beauty of their universe exists encapsulated within a tiny window of an artist's interpretation, resting upon a dusty shelf. That's it, that's all we'll ever know.