Lex Allen's Blog, page 5
August 12, 2013
A Backwards, Positive Review
Many writer friends of mine would never admit to soliciting book reviews. Immediately after publishing my first novel, I freely admit to asking a few friends and acquaintances to read and provide an honest review. Of the six that I asked, three responded. 50% is not a bad ratio and I appreciated the fact that they weren’t all five star reviews; a clear indication that they’d been honestly written.
On the Amazon forums, I “met” and engaged in thoughtful and polite debate with a devout Catholic. Unlike most of his ilk, Mr. X did not fall back on Bible verses when responding to debate points or questions for which he had no real answer. Although some of these discussions became quite heated, as religious debate often does, Mr. X remained the perfect gentlemen. We were on different sides of every argument, but I respected him and, I believe he returned that courtesy. I was curious how an ardent Christian would review my novel, so Mr. X and I made a deal, and I sent him a copy of the book. Several months passed, with gentle reminders on my part, and continued promises on his part, until the day finally came when he admitted that he couldn’t, in good conscience, write a review. Below is the email he sent me and… I think it would have made an excellent review:
“Lex – I know your patience has been tested, but your book has proven a quandary to me. For a first time writer, I have found your book enjoyable to read. On the other hand the themes you have presented are quite offensive to me as a Catholic. If I have learned anything from the threads we met on, it is that people can believe some very outrageous things. I don’t know if you picked such themes purposefully, but I do know that there are people out there who could read this book and use it as a foundation to feed beliefs which endanger their souls.
“So what to do? I cannot recommend the content because there are gullible people out there who might not realize that the content is purely fictional. Like a good episode of the Twilight Zone that is taken for more than science fiction it could do damage to the reader. On the other hand, for a reader who likes science fiction and is mature the book could be most enjoyable.
“The treatment of Jesus is of course the issue, though however laughable and outrageous the themes in your book, there are people who might just take it seriously. I am trying to balance the true talent of a new writer against the unfortunate portrayal of Jesus found in this book which is purely fantastical.
“You have been patient and if you wish to give me a deadline I will happily comply, but I never imagined what would arrive in the mail when you sent me your book. I am truly sorry to have disappointed you, I know how you could feel that way, but I am truly caught in a dilemma, not wishing to offend your talent, having been offended by the themes found in your book.
“You are a talented first time writer, but I have never read a more enjoyably written book that is so thoroughly misguided. I would never have picked it off the shelf. I look forward to reading a book of yours someday with a different topic. Take it easy Lex. I hope the sun is shining where you are at.”
A few months after this email, Mr. X posted a condensed version of what you’ve read here as a two star review on Amazon.com. Mr. X… wherever you may now be… thank you!
On the Amazon forums, I “met” and engaged in thoughtful and polite debate with a devout Catholic. Unlike most of his ilk, Mr. X did not fall back on Bible verses when responding to debate points or questions for which he had no real answer. Although some of these discussions became quite heated, as religious debate often does, Mr. X remained the perfect gentlemen. We were on different sides of every argument, but I respected him and, I believe he returned that courtesy. I was curious how an ardent Christian would review my novel, so Mr. X and I made a deal, and I sent him a copy of the book. Several months passed, with gentle reminders on my part, and continued promises on his part, until the day finally came when he admitted that he couldn’t, in good conscience, write a review. Below is the email he sent me and… I think it would have made an excellent review:
“Lex – I know your patience has been tested, but your book has proven a quandary to me. For a first time writer, I have found your book enjoyable to read. On the other hand the themes you have presented are quite offensive to me as a Catholic. If I have learned anything from the threads we met on, it is that people can believe some very outrageous things. I don’t know if you picked such themes purposefully, but I do know that there are people out there who could read this book and use it as a foundation to feed beliefs which endanger their souls.
“So what to do? I cannot recommend the content because there are gullible people out there who might not realize that the content is purely fictional. Like a good episode of the Twilight Zone that is taken for more than science fiction it could do damage to the reader. On the other hand, for a reader who likes science fiction and is mature the book could be most enjoyable.
“The treatment of Jesus is of course the issue, though however laughable and outrageous the themes in your book, there are people who might just take it seriously. I am trying to balance the true talent of a new writer against the unfortunate portrayal of Jesus found in this book which is purely fantastical.
“You have been patient and if you wish to give me a deadline I will happily comply, but I never imagined what would arrive in the mail when you sent me your book. I am truly sorry to have disappointed you, I know how you could feel that way, but I am truly caught in a dilemma, not wishing to offend your talent, having been offended by the themes found in your book.
“You are a talented first time writer, but I have never read a more enjoyably written book that is so thoroughly misguided. I would never have picked it off the shelf. I look forward to reading a book of yours someday with a different topic. Take it easy Lex. I hope the sun is shining where you are at.”
A few months after this email, Mr. X posted a condensed version of what you’ve read here as a two star review on Amazon.com. Mr. X… wherever you may now be… thank you!
The Second Root of all Evil
Fear is an emotion. In the hands of global power brokers – political, financial and religious leaders – fear is the most powerful of tools for insuring obedience and subservience. When properly applied, fear can completely immobilize any thoughts of disagreement or rebellion. Where money is the root of all evil, the motivational force behind nearly everything that happens in our society; fear is the driver, the hammer that men and women of power and position use to imprison the mind, cage the heart and keep a person in a perpetual state of oppression.
Today, fear can be instilled via multimedia in a variety of ways for an infinite number of reasons. Just the other day, I was talking to a friend and commented that Al Qaida must be asleep as we’ve not had an alert in several weeks. Sure enough, that evening, there it was… a news notice that Al Qaida had released a video that threatens “Western interests throughout Europe.” Believe it or not, people cancel travel plans to Europe, the money markets get skittish and the intelligence agencies pat themselves on the back for keeping the public “aware and on their toes”. The video? Sometimes it’s real, but often it is a fake or a film, dug up from a twenty year old archive of unpublished video.
Fear strikes the very young, the very old and everyone in between; it spreads like a contagious virus and no amount of common sense can control it. Why? Simply because people have been preconditioned over many years to listen and obey voices of authority. I’ve long been fascinated with the German peoples’ “eagerness” to do whatever a doctor tells them. They don’t question this authority figure, they don’t even think about getting a second opinion. The doctor said… and that’s all there is to it.
Fear is not a congenital emotion; it is a learned emotional state. From the very first days, parents begin instilling their fears into their children. Teachers, the next authority figure in a young life, add their own fears until finally, anyone in authority can sway that person to do their bidding. Religious leaders and politicians are especially adept at controlling their flocks (there already is a sure sign of subservience – calling your following a flock, as in sheep) and constituents (a person who appoints someone to act for him, another position of submission).
Religious leaders use the fear of death and hell as their primary base; politicians (today) use money issues and terrorism. Not to be left out are the pharmaceutical lobbies, major food producing corporations, doctors and dentists, lawyers, insurance companies… the list goes on and on. All of these entities have one single thing in common… the certain knowledge in the tactical use of fear to make the most money with the least amount of cost and damn the morality. These authority figures know that fear inhibits individual thinking, it creates mental obstacles to decisive action, and makes a person more malleable to authoritative reasoning, regardless the soundness of their logic.
Only you can prevent… fear. Do it today.
Today, fear can be instilled via multimedia in a variety of ways for an infinite number of reasons. Just the other day, I was talking to a friend and commented that Al Qaida must be asleep as we’ve not had an alert in several weeks. Sure enough, that evening, there it was… a news notice that Al Qaida had released a video that threatens “Western interests throughout Europe.” Believe it or not, people cancel travel plans to Europe, the money markets get skittish and the intelligence agencies pat themselves on the back for keeping the public “aware and on their toes”. The video? Sometimes it’s real, but often it is a fake or a film, dug up from a twenty year old archive of unpublished video.
Fear strikes the very young, the very old and everyone in between; it spreads like a contagious virus and no amount of common sense can control it. Why? Simply because people have been preconditioned over many years to listen and obey voices of authority. I’ve long been fascinated with the German peoples’ “eagerness” to do whatever a doctor tells them. They don’t question this authority figure, they don’t even think about getting a second opinion. The doctor said… and that’s all there is to it.
Fear is not a congenital emotion; it is a learned emotional state. From the very first days, parents begin instilling their fears into their children. Teachers, the next authority figure in a young life, add their own fears until finally, anyone in authority can sway that person to do their bidding. Religious leaders and politicians are especially adept at controlling their flocks (there already is a sure sign of subservience – calling your following a flock, as in sheep) and constituents (a person who appoints someone to act for him, another position of submission).
Religious leaders use the fear of death and hell as their primary base; politicians (today) use money issues and terrorism. Not to be left out are the pharmaceutical lobbies, major food producing corporations, doctors and dentists, lawyers, insurance companies… the list goes on and on. All of these entities have one single thing in common… the certain knowledge in the tactical use of fear to make the most money with the least amount of cost and damn the morality. These authority figures know that fear inhibits individual thinking, it creates mental obstacles to decisive action, and makes a person more malleable to authoritative reasoning, regardless the soundness of their logic.
Only you can prevent… fear. Do it today.
The Root of all Evil
Folks familiar with my novels might assume that I’d say organized religion was the root of all evil. They would be… wrong. Those who know me personally might say that I’d point out politicians as the roots of all things vile and evil in the world. They’d be wrong, as well. Although organized religion and politicians serve the one, true evil master in a variety of ways, and to a varying degree of reward; the root of all evil is – money. I know… the “have nots” always point to money as the biggest problem facing humanity, while the “haves” smugly disagree. Well, when the have-nots outnumber the haves something like 10,000 to 1; it’s easy to see why the majority of the world’s population feels that way.
Dispensing with a tenuous, detailed history, let’s simply say that money as a concept has been around since about 5000 BCE in the form of goods/services rendered and received. Actual money – coins – came into being in the Western world about 700 BCE, and most historians’ credit the Lydians (now Turkey) as using metal as coins. The invention of paper money has been credited to the Chinese around 960 CE. There is a point in time when money, as a commodity (linked to an agreed upon value of something tangible) became representative (backed by a government or bank, and based upon a certain amount of silver or gold). No one is certain when this came about, but best guesses are the mid-1700’s. The history of money, however, is not the subject. The subject is how money has become the “be all – end all” of every form of human interaction. I can’t think of one single thing, not one, that is not associated, attached to, influenced by or generated by money. Even the basic human emotions have become dependent or influenced by money.
Money and Fear (the second root of all evil) have been used by those in power (having money) to subjugate humanity around the globe and throughout history. This one percent of the world’s entire population is inviolable, safe and secure in the arms of their brethren; connected groups that closely guard their own riches, and insure that only those “deserving”… enter their ranks. They make the laws, they own the property, and they run the banks. They are the masters of the world, as we know it. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. It could be different. A man named Jacque Fresco has a plan. He’s worked on it for most of his life and he’s over ninety years old. Mr. Fresco suggests that technology and the Earth’s resources could sustain all of humanity without the need for money. Everyone would have equal access to every resource imaginable – from the latest in entertainment technology to the health care to food and sustenance.
Mr. Fresco’s website hosts a very interesting video about The Venus Project. On face value, I find the concept intriguing. Still, it strikes me a bit too… utopian and I’ve several unanswered questions. Off the top, if such a world society were at all possible; I think it would require a completely new methodology for educating our children, over many generations, for any hope of success.
Dispensing with a tenuous, detailed history, let’s simply say that money as a concept has been around since about 5000 BCE in the form of goods/services rendered and received. Actual money – coins – came into being in the Western world about 700 BCE, and most historians’ credit the Lydians (now Turkey) as using metal as coins. The invention of paper money has been credited to the Chinese around 960 CE. There is a point in time when money, as a commodity (linked to an agreed upon value of something tangible) became representative (backed by a government or bank, and based upon a certain amount of silver or gold). No one is certain when this came about, but best guesses are the mid-1700’s. The history of money, however, is not the subject. The subject is how money has become the “be all – end all” of every form of human interaction. I can’t think of one single thing, not one, that is not associated, attached to, influenced by or generated by money. Even the basic human emotions have become dependent or influenced by money.
Money and Fear (the second root of all evil) have been used by those in power (having money) to subjugate humanity around the globe and throughout history. This one percent of the world’s entire population is inviolable, safe and secure in the arms of their brethren; connected groups that closely guard their own riches, and insure that only those “deserving”… enter their ranks. They make the laws, they own the property, and they run the banks. They are the masters of the world, as we know it. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. It could be different. A man named Jacque Fresco has a plan. He’s worked on it for most of his life and he’s over ninety years old. Mr. Fresco suggests that technology and the Earth’s resources could sustain all of humanity without the need for money. Everyone would have equal access to every resource imaginable – from the latest in entertainment technology to the health care to food and sustenance.
Mr. Fresco’s website hosts a very interesting video about The Venus Project. On face value, I find the concept intriguing. Still, it strikes me a bit too… utopian and I’ve several unanswered questions. Off the top, if such a world society were at all possible; I think it would require a completely new methodology for educating our children, over many generations, for any hope of success.
July 11, 2013
Where is Society Headed?
Since George Orwell’s “1984”, dystopian novels and movies have enjoyed a huge comeback with the success of Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games”. It seems as though everyone is writing about a future society that follows a cataclysmic event in which more than half of the world’s population is destroyed. These media thrillers are all about “Big Brother” like no one could imagine; and the hero/heroine from a backwoods district/section/town that takes up the fight against the ruling authorities, and almost always wins. This isn’t reality.
There’s a reason why these novels and films are so popular. They are highly entertaining, but more importantly, they seem to be portentous… and that excites people. Look around you; religious fanaticism is more evident, and less likely to hide its ugly head than ever before. This fanaticism is not confined to Islam; rather, it includes all the various Christian sects and Judaism, as well.
Service to country, the enrichment and improvement of the lives of their people, was the ideology. Today, politicians around the world are bought and paid for by the highest bidder whose agendas are, by and large, only in favor of a small group of the multi-rich.
The highly touted global economy has backfired, eliminating jobs in much of the Western world while creating near slave level production facilities in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Corporate leaders fail and reap million dollar rewards while governments bail out their corporations as, “too big to fail”, in the trillions of dollars.
The world needs a revolution of extraordinary dimensions, and it needs to happen soon. Until then, novels and films will continue to occupy the minds of millions. These same millions though, are the people that would support a revolution. All they are waiting for is a leader.
There’s a reason why these novels and films are so popular. They are highly entertaining, but more importantly, they seem to be portentous… and that excites people. Look around you; religious fanaticism is more evident, and less likely to hide its ugly head than ever before. This fanaticism is not confined to Islam; rather, it includes all the various Christian sects and Judaism, as well.
Service to country, the enrichment and improvement of the lives of their people, was the ideology. Today, politicians around the world are bought and paid for by the highest bidder whose agendas are, by and large, only in favor of a small group of the multi-rich.
The highly touted global economy has backfired, eliminating jobs in much of the Western world while creating near slave level production facilities in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. Corporate leaders fail and reap million dollar rewards while governments bail out their corporations as, “too big to fail”, in the trillions of dollars.
The world needs a revolution of extraordinary dimensions, and it needs to happen soon. Until then, novels and films will continue to occupy the minds of millions. These same millions though, are the people that would support a revolution. All they are waiting for is a leader.
What is Peripheral Vision?
Defined, peripheral vision is that which is seen outside the central fix of the eye; without peripheral vision, one would suffer a malady known as tunnel vision. Humans have weaker peripheral vision, compared to animals, because the receptor cells are stronger in the center of the retina than on the outer edges. But is that all there is to it?
Quantum physics theory lends credence to the possibility of a multiverse, an infinite number of universes stacked in, around and on top of each other. It so, how are these universes separated? What keeps them from intruding on neighboring universes?
Quantum physics, unlike the standard physics that most of us grew up with, says that energy is wavelike… not particles of matter. Imagine, then, a wave of energy that separates these multiverses from each other. It’s flexible, it’s invisible and it’s impenetrable; or is it?
We’ve all experienced that fleeting movement, seen from the corner of the eye. Something moved, something flashed, something fluttered, but when we turn in order to see better… there’s nothing there. What if the flexible, invisible and impenetrable wall of energy had a hiccup? For the briefest of moments, we were allowed to see beyond the wall; what if we could freeze frame the scene?
Never forget that the science fiction of yesteryear has become today’s reality. Quantum physics theories will be proven and perhaps, one day soon, we will be able to not only see an adjoining universe; we’ll be able to go there!
Quantum physics theory lends credence to the possibility of a multiverse, an infinite number of universes stacked in, around and on top of each other. It so, how are these universes separated? What keeps them from intruding on neighboring universes?
Quantum physics, unlike the standard physics that most of us grew up with, says that energy is wavelike… not particles of matter. Imagine, then, a wave of energy that separates these multiverses from each other. It’s flexible, it’s invisible and it’s impenetrable; or is it?
We’ve all experienced that fleeting movement, seen from the corner of the eye. Something moved, something flashed, something fluttered, but when we turn in order to see better… there’s nothing there. What if the flexible, invisible and impenetrable wall of energy had a hiccup? For the briefest of moments, we were allowed to see beyond the wall; what if we could freeze frame the scene?
Never forget that the science fiction of yesteryear has become today’s reality. Quantum physics theories will be proven and perhaps, one day soon, we will be able to not only see an adjoining universe; we’ll be able to go there!
