Dandelion,

Excellent point. And a nifty way to bring us back to Bradbury.

Best,

Pete

Have you checked out the "hollow earth" theories? Interesting stuff on the web.

Hollow earth theories? That's a new one to me! Wonder where magma comes from, then....hmmmmmm. Where do people come up with some of these wacky ideas?

The first one I know of who came up with this idea was the Norwegian writer Ludvig Holberg with his utopian(!) novel Nicolai Klimii iter subterraneum (The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground, 1741). In the subterranian world he gets to know a variety of societies based on different political maximes. It's quite fun to read -- at several instances the descriptions range from satire to utter (almost Monty Python like) nonsense...
(For those familiar with Poe -- this book is (among others) part of Roderick Usher's library -- check it out!)
Then there's Jules Verne of course with his Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Some people will believe anything, quite simply because they want to. Believing what you want to believe is easy.

Cynicism is easy, too; though sometimes it is learned through very hard life lessons. My own view is that cynicism and faith are -- to a certain extent -- choices we make.

From Bradbury:

"I'm an optimist. I discard all such dark tomorrows. I have faith in man as God and God as man; I believe we'll be immortal, seed the stars and live forever in the flesh of our children. That's my job as a writer -- to show man his basic goodness, to dramatize his struggle up and away from this planet. I reject the doomsayers?"

From an interview given by Ray Bradbury to William F. Nolan/1972. Collected and edited by Steven Aggelis in the book, "Conversations with Ray Bradbury". Ed. By Steven Aggelis. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson. 2004. P. 83.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Dark:
Cynicism is easy, too; though sometimes it is learned through very hard life lessons. My own view is that cynicism and faith are -- to a certain extent -- choices we make.

From Bradbury:

"I'm an optimist. I discard all such dark tomorrows. I have faith in man as God and God as man; I believe we'll be immortal, seed the stars and live forever in the flesh of our children. That's my job as a writer -- to show man his basic goodness, to dramatize his struggle up and away from this planet. I reject the doomsayers?"

From an interview given by Ray Bradbury to William F. Nolan/1972. Collected and edited by Steven Aggelis in the book, "Conversations with Ray Bradbury". Ed. By Steven Aggelis. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson. 2004. P. 83.

That sums it up for me. This is why I vibrated with Ray's writings since I first found him in the late '50s. The eternal Optimist - He tells us that to ensure that the Human race will survive, we must grow to be like gods, take the responsibility for our own enlightenment, make plans to leave this womb of Earth, and venture out into the scarry unkown of the Universe. Nothing more profound has ever been said. Thanks Ray.

Sweet, sweet, hope! Think of the greatest stories of RB, or any other writer for that matter. Then again, any amazing true to life situation that has impressed you the most. It always presents the human spirit at its most fragile, yet its most noble and heroic!

Why? Because we have a spark in our hearts, minds, psyches, and souls that makes us take that next step even in the face of certain destruction or failure. Then, only then can we prove the fates wrong. Mr. Bradbury, though many of his tales certainly bring about a great demise, more often and as reflected in this fantastic quote cited by Mr. Dark and patrask, shakes us to the core. He challenges us to be noble in the face of our own shortcomings or daily challenges. Be it in the classroom, with our family, in the work force, writing, speaking, playing, walking in the leaves----his metaphors slam us in the heart and mind. How can WE grab each moment, not waste a second?? Take that next step!

Hope is the fire Montag survived by. Doug Spaulding ultimately sees the end of summer not as an end of life but rather a hope for more wonderous things to come. Something Wicked This Way Comes for all of us -from time to time- but we are better than that. We must be if the next generation, our kids and theirs, are going to realize a similar reality. This is sound advice from Mr. Bradbury.

We all need to heed it. Read some RB to a family member, give someone a book of his writings, tell young people about this writer for the ages. That will pass it on!

I wonder if being an eternal optimist isn't being overly optimistic...
Cheers, Translator