Teachers, let me tell you, are born deceivers of the lowest sort, since what they want from life is impossible - time-freed, existential youth forever. It commits them to terrible deceptions and departures from the truth. And literature, being lasting, is their ticket.
In Richard Ford's "The Sportswriter," the character reflects on the nature of teachers, describing them as skilled deceivers driven by a yearning for eternal youth and freedom from time's constraints. This desire leads them to engage in significant self-deception and distortions of reality, as they grapple with their own aspirations and the limitations of life.
Literature, according to this perspective, serves as an escape for teachers, offering them a lasting refuge from the challenges of their existence. It allows them to connect with the essence of youth that they long for, providing a means to navigate the complexities of their truth and aspirations.
