Hi there! Confession....(remember this is a secret, so don't tell anyone!) What's that you say? This is a public blog? Oh, so I guess the secret's out...wait for it....you still there?...I'm a NERD!!! There, I said it. Boy do I feel better now. Well now that I've got that off my chest, there are some more things I'd like to say. I'm sick of people dissing on science fiction/fantasy nerds.
Certain people (coughcouch*sara*coughcough) have bugged me my whole life about my deep abiding love of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I say what's not to love? One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from the last season of Star Trek: TNG. Speaking of hatred Picard says to a colleague, "at first it is hard and rough, uncomfortable to us. Soon it becomes warn and soft like old leather. Before we know it, we reach a point where we can't imagine being without it." Can you handle that amount of sci-fi technical nonsense? Wait, there was nothing about science fiction in that quote. If we put it back in context, you will see that it's about an interspecies conflict, but the episode was about two separate groups that had made war for so long, they did not know how to live together in peace. Do any nations come to mind? How about people?
Another favorite episode features an unpopular engineer. He is unpopular because he spends all his time playing virtual reality games. Facebook anyone? Or how about a holographic version of Second Life? While the episode delves a little into what causes someone to withdraw into a make-believe world, it also shows how true friends can help. It reminded me of this talk by a religious leader about what's real. The difference between loosing oneself in cyberspace and using the internet as a tool. Have you ever been lost in a fantasy world? Honestly, I personally know some amateur authors that have chosen fictional relationships in place of true ones.
My favorite Star Trek episode is near the end of the series where Picard gets to live out an entire lifetime among an alien race. In the end he finds it was all a technologically induced dream, but because of the technology, he remembers a race of people that is now extinct. He gets to be the carrier of their memory. Sometimes I feel similar as I do my family history. Johanne and Anders Kristensen lost 3 of their children in infancy. When was the last time someone cared about their legacy? Who remembers my great great grandparents, and all they suffered to bring my family to the United States? History is about celebrating the value of each person as much as it is about learning the events. And all this from a sci-fi show? Yes.
Now on to fantasy. I personally slightly prefer it over science fiction-especially the young adult variety. For the sake of argument let's go with Lord of the Rings. It's not my favorite, but it's worth exploring. I love it because of all the relationships. The hero that Samwise becomes through service, it's incredible to me. I hope I can be as strong and as kind as Sam one day. What would it be like to give that selfless service in the cause of something so worthwhile?
I have to say I'm a little jealous of Eowyn, because I want to marry Faramir. I love someone who can stand for the right in times of peace or war, and yet still see both sides. More than marrying Faramir, I want to be Faramir. I want to see evil for what it truly is and stand against it with everything I have. But what makes Faramir so great is that he never once becomes cruel from being in the right. Even the hero of the story, Aragorn, gets carried away from time to time, but Faramir never looses sight of the human equation. In the world there is so much evil. The family is being attacked right and left. Everything that is good and sacred is being made a mockery of in "enlightened" circles. Like Faramir I want to see evil for what it is and stay as far away as I can. But like Faramir, I want to look at those attacking all I hold dear and see them with compassion, even love. I want to fight against evil to save the opposing side as well as my own. Faramir found even the life of Gollum, a decrepit traitor to be of value. Can I do even half as much?
Intellectually I think the key to understanding The Lord of the Rings is understanding that the Ring is power. Is power a bad thing? No. Is wanting power for it's own sake a bad thing? Yes!!! When someone desires power, it will corrupt. When someone desires the means to help others, they can be on shaky ground. Frodo did not want the power, and for that reason he was able to hold it. Gandalf craved power. Gandalf was wise and good, so he knew better than to allow himself to be tempted by the ring. Aragorn was held captive by his fear of power. There came a point when the people needed Aragorn bad enough that he overcame his fears and embraced power to help his people, against the ring. To see the heart of each person and the journey they take because of the siren call of absolute power is the whole point of the story. I doubt I will ever have absolute power, but I insisted on absolute obedience from my students. I caught myself demanding they hold still at times just because I wanted to feel my own authority. I stopped that right away, but my point is that I think power tempts everyone in some way or other, and if we aren't aware of it, power can corrupt us as easily as is did the mighty and noble Boromir in LOTR.
Now that I've shown you the light, I'm sure you're all anxious to give the sci-fi/fantasy genre another look. Maybe one or two of you are still thinking wait, I remember watching some really dumb Star Trek. Well, yes. Some of it is dumb. It's called escapist reading (watching). I'm not saying that every story that takes place in a slightly unrecognizable setting is something with deep insight into human nature. I'm asking that people who love science fiction and/or fantasy be seen as normal people who like the same things other people do, for the most part. The fantasy elements are fun and captivating to me, but really they are window dressing to what's really important: the human story.
Another favorite episode features an unpopular engineer. He is unpopular because he spends all his time playing virtual reality games. Facebook anyone? Or how about a holographic version of Second Life? While the episode delves a little into what causes someone to withdraw into a make-believe world, it also shows how true friends can help. It reminded me of this talk by a religious leader about what's real. The difference between loosing oneself in cyberspace and using the internet as a tool. Have you ever been lost in a fantasy world? Honestly, I personally know some amateur authors that have chosen fictional relationships in place of true ones.
 |
| Confession: This is not my family, just a picture from the same time period |
I have to say I'm a little jealous of Eowyn, because I want to marry Faramir. I love someone who can stand for the right in times of peace or war, and yet still see both sides. More than marrying Faramir, I want to be Faramir. I want to see evil for what it truly is and stand against it with everything I have. But what makes Faramir so great is that he never once becomes cruel from being in the right. Even the hero of the story, Aragorn, gets carried away from time to time, but Faramir never looses sight of the human equation. In the world there is so much evil. The family is being attacked right and left. Everything that is good and sacred is being made a mockery of in "enlightened" circles. Like Faramir I want to see evil for what it is and stay as far away as I can. But like Faramir, I want to look at those attacking all I hold dear and see them with compassion, even love. I want to fight against evil to save the opposing side as well as my own. Faramir found even the life of Gollum, a decrepit traitor to be of value. Can I do even half as much?Intellectually I think the key to understanding The Lord of the Rings is understanding that the Ring is power. Is power a bad thing? No. Is wanting power for it's own sake a bad thing? Yes!!! When someone desires power, it will corrupt. When someone desires the means to help others, they can be on shaky ground. Frodo did not want the power, and for that reason he was able to hold it. Gandalf craved power. Gandalf was wise and good, so he knew better than to allow himself to be tempted by the ring. Aragorn was held captive by his fear of power. There came a point when the people needed Aragorn bad enough that he overcame his fears and embraced power to help his people, against the ring. To see the heart of each person and the journey they take because of the siren call of absolute power is the whole point of the story. I doubt I will ever have absolute power, but I insisted on absolute obedience from my students. I caught myself demanding they hold still at times just because I wanted to feel my own authority. I stopped that right away, but my point is that I think power tempts everyone in some way or other, and if we aren't aware of it, power can corrupt us as easily as is did the mighty and noble Boromir in LOTR.Now that I've shown you the light, I'm sure you're all anxious to give the sci-fi/fantasy genre another look. Maybe one or two of you are still thinking wait, I remember watching some really dumb Star Trek. Well, yes. Some of it is dumb. It's called escapist reading (watching). I'm not saying that every story that takes place in a slightly unrecognizable setting is something with deep insight into human nature. I'm asking that people who love science fiction and/or fantasy be seen as normal people who like the same things other people do, for the most part. The fantasy elements are fun and captivating to me, but really they are window dressing to what's really important: the human story.
You gave a very effective "argument" - good job! I've always enjoyed your deep thinking. ;-)
ReplyDelete