Spiritual journeys often begin unexpectedly and in the strangest places. As a young man I developed a fondness for science fiction and fantasy as my dearly departed dad always kept a bunch stacked around the place. I had more free time in those days so I managed to read a bit in those generes as well as some non-fiction, particularly tales of true life adventures and biographies.
One quick story and early lesson about that, my high school had a pretty good collection of science fiction by Robert Heinlein. Of course I checked each book out and very much enjoyed reading them. Imagine my loss of faith in humanity, however, when I managed to pick up a couple of those very same books at a sale many years later... and the only other person who had ever checked out one of them was my own brother Carl who came along some four years later! So many people will never fully appreciate what they missed, at least until the movie comes out. Sad indeed, for the books are always better don't you think?
What can a young soul possibly gain from indulging in such "escapism" particularily whilst the young "skull full of mush" is still developing? What indeed... but what magic, muse, or madness draws such tales of high fantasy, epic science fiction or for that matter anything else from the creative minds of all those authors we love? Take a side trip to wonder about and appreciate such things:
Artistic Inspiration - Wikipedia
But what does a real life, successful authoress have to confess about her own muse? If you haven't seen this, it is quite worthwile to hear:
Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius
So I've managed to lead you somewhat astray within this blog, trying to paint an appreciation which in all probablity already exists because... here you are... my bad.
Somewhere along the path of reading one captivating adventure after another for many years one must pause to wonder how in the heck these author guys come up with all this detailed crazy stuff? If you watched the Gilbert vid she seems to suggest that perhaps some outside, or maybe instead a deep inside, seemingly foreign influence went into the making of such things, a muse if you will. The even more paranoid among us could even ask ourselves if it is simply a coincidence that we are reading, listening or watching "whatever" is making an impression upon or at least entertaing us at any time. What do our senses tell us? Look harder.
Blink
Believe: in what you see,
and touch, and smell, and taste, and hear,
or, is that what you're been taught to believe?
How long does it last? Will we ever agree?
Shift: change focus, glance, turn or blink,
pay attention, for a change, to those senses you trust,
tricksters dance at the edge, beyond what you know,
quicker by far, than mere time, can you think?
Look closer at anything, can't you see more?
Even blankness or randomness, your mind will supply,
deeper images, meaning, from whence do you know?
Patience, practice, time builds up your store.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
in·spire verb
But does this inspiration, this "God-breathed" mind infective substance not transcend well beyond that regarded as the cannon of Christian Holy Scriptures into the very stuff of our daily lives - from inspiration (whether regarded Divine or not) to authors to each of us partaking same? We each breathe in (metaphorically speaking), and we each are filled with the urge or ability to do or feel something. What do we learn by appreciating things through our senses and cognition? Have you been adequately inspired today?
Religion and political intrigue all within science fiction. It doesn't get any better than this... All Hail Frank Herbert Quotes!
