The last post, "Allegory," brought me back to one of the seminal problems addressed in this blog: are we nearing the end of our cycle, to crumble and begin anew from the ashes, or are we progressing - that is, evolving into something new and never before lived? The movie that was showcased would see hope, of course, as long as we all turn back to Jesus. But the caption that it sparked for the blog "Allegory," made me think again. What is it that happened in the Enlightenment (Age of Reason) that made Western society, and now much of the world, non-spiritual in its impulses? We will not discuss that here, except for this: were the perennialists right, then? Did they have it right when they said that our greater culture has actually declined since the Renaissance because it brought us to look to the individual ego and Man rather than to the spiritual and God? For it does seem so: we have lost allegory, the framing of everyday life in greater meaning, to novels of action or character development. We have, in our social media, traded greater meaning for economic development and celebrity worship. With all our technological advancements, haven't we buried the essential seed, the spark that makes life really worth living? And is this not a downward spiral?
As a final nod to August vacations - at near end now, alas - I picked up one more novel to read for general distraction, a science fiction work written by Jack Anderson, a journalist who was famous in the 1970's and 80's. Sci fi is often so bad that I thought that, at the very least, a journalist would know how to write. But I have been pleasantly surprised that this book, "Millennium," (written in the early 1990's about the millennium of 2,000) is not only written well, but is thoughtful beyond expectations. Briefly sketched, it is about alien surveillance of our society, and a critical look at our society and nation itself. In it, an alien - big head and eyes and all - comes to earth roughly disguised as a human to give the President a message: that the Galactic community has quarantined Earth as a moral hazard, and has now decided it must be cleansed of intelligent (human) life for the safety of the greater cosmic community. Our alien, called "Victor," is a renegade, though; he is not supposed to interfere with this human experiment, and by trying to get us to change our course, he is risking his membership in the community.
He does not initially succeed. He is turned back by the guard at the White House (of course) and is then mugged by a street gang, one of whom steals a bit of alien technology that allows one to control the memories and actions of humans. Without this device, he is as helpless as any human, stranded and incapable of helping humanity. Ah, but coincidences abound, a secret government agency gets wind of him, and so on. A good thriller, but it has its surprising depth, too. Nearing the end, the alien comes into contact with a famous journalist who has a well-read column. It is to him that he explains the situation:
First, he tells the agnostic, cynical old columnist that the Galactic community does not believe in God - rather, they KNOW that God exists (what a surprise from a journalist!). Further, that moral thoughts and actions have a direct material effect on the world, and by extension, the cosmos: that is, that immorality (in a greater sense) is out of tune with a moral universe and thus causes catastrophes, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and, had it been written a little later, probably Global Warming. It is for this reason that humans must be cleansed. But if we can change our attitudes to one of hope and care and integrity, we can change the future instantly. To quote the alien, if we rid ourselves of our "puerile arrogance," we can be saved.
I have not quite finished the book, but it strikes at the very core of what has been discussed so frequently in this blog: that it is our inner spiritual life that controls our outer world, and our destiny. Here, Anderson gives us a quick, final opportunity to change our ways before the aliens cleanse themselves of our fouled presence. And it could be that these aliens do exist - not as we understand existence, but as Anderson has us understand the power of morality. Perhaps it is through our inner moral being that we create what we believe to be our selves, our bodies, as well as the material presence of other beings. Perhaps, then, alien beings are a projection of our inner development - no less real than us, but seen as they are as a reflection of where we currently stand. Perhaps, then, aliens define in some inscrutable way what we have alienated from ourselves - and in the juxtaposition, stand in judgment as to whether we are worthy of continued development.
This is, in the final analogy, what Allegory is all about - that life is embedded in a reality that is much greater than our limited perceptions would have us believe. The partial understanding of this greater moral reality, as Jack Anderson alludes to, is what causes our suffering, even though we cannot see this ourselves; at least not until we have embraced the moral purity which is the essence of universe.
And so what of the future? Shall we go back to the drawing board, or progress - to something perhaps as marvelous as membership in the Galactic community? We see that Anderson thinks we have a chance, but it is against all odds. We are sinking, just as the content of our novels is sinking, from allegory to realism and "puerile" fantasy. So the question still remains, but Anderson's tentative answer is this: if we try to change it, we will, but we must look to the spiritual before all else, because that is the essence. And so we must, regardless of the odds. That much is not science fiction. FK
As a final nod to August vacations - at near end now, alas - I picked up one more novel to read for general distraction, a science fiction work written by Jack Anderson, a journalist who was famous in the 1970's and 80's. Sci fi is often so bad that I thought that, at the very least, a journalist would know how to write. But I have been pleasantly surprised that this book, "Millennium," (written in the early 1990's about the millennium of 2,000) is not only written well, but is thoughtful beyond expectations. Briefly sketched, it is about alien surveillance of our society, and a critical look at our society and nation itself. In it, an alien - big head and eyes and all - comes to earth roughly disguised as a human to give the President a message: that the Galactic community has quarantined Earth as a moral hazard, and has now decided it must be cleansed of intelligent (human) life for the safety of the greater cosmic community. Our alien, called "Victor," is a renegade, though; he is not supposed to interfere with this human experiment, and by trying to get us to change our course, he is risking his membership in the community.
He does not initially succeed. He is turned back by the guard at the White House (of course) and is then mugged by a street gang, one of whom steals a bit of alien technology that allows one to control the memories and actions of humans. Without this device, he is as helpless as any human, stranded and incapable of helping humanity. Ah, but coincidences abound, a secret government agency gets wind of him, and so on. A good thriller, but it has its surprising depth, too. Nearing the end, the alien comes into contact with a famous journalist who has a well-read column. It is to him that he explains the situation:
First, he tells the agnostic, cynical old columnist that the Galactic community does not believe in God - rather, they KNOW that God exists (what a surprise from a journalist!). Further, that moral thoughts and actions have a direct material effect on the world, and by extension, the cosmos: that is, that immorality (in a greater sense) is out of tune with a moral universe and thus causes catastrophes, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and, had it been written a little later, probably Global Warming. It is for this reason that humans must be cleansed. But if we can change our attitudes to one of hope and care and integrity, we can change the future instantly. To quote the alien, if we rid ourselves of our "puerile arrogance," we can be saved.
I have not quite finished the book, but it strikes at the very core of what has been discussed so frequently in this blog: that it is our inner spiritual life that controls our outer world, and our destiny. Here, Anderson gives us a quick, final opportunity to change our ways before the aliens cleanse themselves of our fouled presence. And it could be that these aliens do exist - not as we understand existence, but as Anderson has us understand the power of morality. Perhaps it is through our inner moral being that we create what we believe to be our selves, our bodies, as well as the material presence of other beings. Perhaps, then, alien beings are a projection of our inner development - no less real than us, but seen as they are as a reflection of where we currently stand. Perhaps, then, aliens define in some inscrutable way what we have alienated from ourselves - and in the juxtaposition, stand in judgment as to whether we are worthy of continued development.
This is, in the final analogy, what Allegory is all about - that life is embedded in a reality that is much greater than our limited perceptions would have us believe. The partial understanding of this greater moral reality, as Jack Anderson alludes to, is what causes our suffering, even though we cannot see this ourselves; at least not until we have embraced the moral purity which is the essence of universe.
And so what of the future? Shall we go back to the drawing board, or progress - to something perhaps as marvelous as membership in the Galactic community? We see that Anderson thinks we have a chance, but it is against all odds. We are sinking, just as the content of our novels is sinking, from allegory to realism and "puerile" fantasy. So the question still remains, but Anderson's tentative answer is this: if we try to change it, we will, but we must look to the spiritual before all else, because that is the essence. And so we must, regardless of the odds. That much is not science fiction. FK
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