I think I wrote my own book- in my mind- and there would be no reason I would try to hustle it on to the public. To do what? Make money? Change the world? No- I am a happy avid reader and critic. I am finally a third through "War and Peace" and spellbound. I did read an abridged version about the time the movie came out in the mid '50's but there is no comparison.
Good luck on writing your books! It can take years. The current darling of American letters- Franzen- took 9 years to write "Freedom", but he doesn't interest me. I would probably louse up his plot with my own memories of St. Paul. (My daughter at first thought he had written about the apostle! :-)) Then there's that 50 year project of Helen Santmyer whose best seller- "And Ladies of the Club" was published when she was 88! Good grief!!! While I might drop a vignette into a conversation and hear "You should write!"- it won't happen plus that was a reaction with many things- modeling, acting, painting, etc. and I just didn't care about it, basically. The lives of public figures plus my parents probably turned me off and away. However, I will admit, like Saul Bellow, I would sometimes "play" people to see what they were made of even if it hurt me. I prefer to think of that as curiousity rather than a sin. The secret to keeping the plot alive is a simple outline, really, but one that can adapt to twists and turns. It is similar to our memories which are constantly revised and corrected as we mature, perhaps. On Sep 25, 12:34 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > On Sep 24, 8:39 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Maybe our ego prevents us from realizing our insignificance and allows > > us to consider our lives important- the highs and the lows. >R > > Good point, the ego interference factor. The blue dot really drives > the point home but there are other aspects of life less dramatic that > can humble one to the reality of insignificance in terms of cosmic > vastness. Sometimes just to sit out on a sultry night gazing up at > the constellations is enough for one to realize there is more out > there, that we are just the spec of dust. sd > > I try to > > > relate to the history I read- yesterday it was some passages from "War > > and Peace" and a biography of Tolstoy by Henri Troyat and it made me a > > little blue but it didn't last. I was happy to have a long > > conversation with my daughter later this morning, for one thing. >R > > You seem to be too intertwined with the external. The world outside > of your "self", Id/ego, is extraneous to your personal life, your > emotional involvement is as useless as soap opera despondency, ie; it > is just a show. There are those who lean towards the somber and find > something in everything to get sad about. I don't think you are that > extreme but there is something recognizable. Personally I'm not much > for emotional involvement, I've been know to laugh during tragic > events on television shows but in response to criticism on that, > making it known I am fully aware that the scene is not real plus it is > all just actors making believe, explains it. Perhaps I'm laughing > because these people think their acting is that good to cause me to > become emotionally distraught. So putting that whole in perspective > it becomes obvious that getting emotionally involved needlessly can > leave one effete, even vapid. If I had to cry and suffer for every > crime, injustice and tragedy in the world I might as well start > digging my grave now. I don't even dwell on my own personal disasters > of the past, they happened, they are past, they are gone and it would > serve me no purpose to spend time feeling sad about them; it would > almost seem an exercise in self pity. sd > > > Sometimes it is hard not to be influenced by the news- maybe we should > > be influenced! Also, as I am pretty much on my own, it is up to me > > constantly to manage my emotions and thinking rather than having a > > family/husband around to cheer me up- on the other hand, they might > > depress me! :-) But, as my daughter pointed out, I am very sociable > > when out and it's my choice to live as I do- there are alternatives.// <R > > At least you can see the options, that is important, but make sure you > utilize what options you have. Everyday is a transitional opportunity > for us, that is, every new day. The past is fixed but we can change > the next moment. sd > > > I remember watching Sagan's tv series a long time ago and being > > fascinated- I bought the companion book and something "Murmurs?" but > > haven't gone back and read them. I was planning to spend a winter with > > Russian writers...dead ones. R > > You have a been an avid reader as long as I've known you here. You > have much to offer, I think you should write your own book. I'm > working on two for several years now. The only hard part for me is > having to re-read over and over to keep the continuity and flow going, > especially when there has been a considerable lapse in time between > writings. sd > > > > > > > On Sep 24, 8:14 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Strip it of the prose, the depth even, down to it's basic core. What > > > is left is the dot, the realization we are not that big here, we are > > > microscopic. Next comes the fact that it 'is' the only place we know > > > of that human life has taken place. The lives that have run the > > > course from the first to the present despite the range of peace and > > > brutality simply indicate our need to make change. We need to change > > > as a species. In the thousands of years of human history we still > > > have the same things going on, fighting and killing each other; its > > > almost all we've ever really learned and learned well. We started > > > throwing rocks and fighting with sticks; now we're setting off bombs > > > for more efficient mass killing. > > > Much could be said about the cooperation of a dozen mixed culture > > > people on a deserted island with limited resources. But globally we > > > don't think that way because we have all established our own islands > > > and resources, dislike and distrust the presence of intruders and > > > worse have a drive to attain others islands and resources in order to > > > create empires. > > > If it is depressing it is not on account of Sagan's presentation as > > > other presentations point to the same scenario. We could simply watch > > > world news and see it for ourselves; we could put together our own > > > presentation. > > > Fact is we are here, consciously and aware and share a physicality and > > > that is why we 'bother at all'. The moments of joy are what make > > > life worth living, especially those prolonged moments and long periods > > > of extended happiness that many of us experience. If only there were > > > a synchronicity element to life where all of humanity simultaneously, > > > absorbed the essence and came to the same conclusion after reading the > > > presentation. Don't forget, regardless of your gloom and somber > > > reflection you did 'bother' up until now. You can bother to reply if > > > you want; I'll be less joyful if you don't and others might wonder why > > > you didn't. Think about it. > > > > On Sep 24, 7:20 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > At first, I admired his prose/argument but then found it depressing. > > > > Why bother at all? > > > > > On Sep 23, 7:36 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Oops! Try again: > > > > > > Rigsy, I must inject this piece of what think is pertinent to a > > > > > portion of our interaction, if not of the whole. > > > > > Only because we all find so much significance to this world, > > > > > to this life when in all actuality it is so much the opposite. This is > > > > > from a speech Carl Sagan made at Cornell University on Oct. 13, 1994 > > > > > based on a photo from Voyager I in 1990 and also the title of Sagan's > > > > > 1994 book. "Pale Blue Dot". > > > > > > Carl Sagan: > > > > > From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of > > > > > particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that > > > > > dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, > > > > > everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who > > > > > ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and > > > > > suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic > > > > > doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every > > > > > creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every > > > > > young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor > > > > > and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every > > > > > "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the > > > > > history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a > > > > > sunbeam. > > > > > > The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the > > > > > rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in > > > > > glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a > > > > > fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the > > > > > inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely > > > > > distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their > > > > > misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent > > > > > their hatreds. > > > > > > Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we > > > > > have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this > > > > > point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great > > > > > enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there > > > > > is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from > > > > > ourselves. > > > > > > The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is > > > > > nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could > > > > > migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment > > > > > the Earth is where we make our stand. > > > > > > It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building > > > > > experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of > > > > > human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it > > > > > underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, > > > > > and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've > > > > > ever known. > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > But truthfully Rids, this photo, for me, has an enormous impact on the > > > > > consciousness. To imagine that all of this is taking place on a spec > > > > > of dust in the universe. > > > > > >http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123614938 > > > > > > Of course it begs the question "why?" > > > > > > It is ultimately a study in consciousness. IMHO (take out the humble > > > > > part) LOL- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
