More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Sometimes it’s okay to find something beautiful without correctly understanding it.
Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you.
“Hypothesis: Everything is frightening and we should hide,”
But he knew this was only an optical illusion, which is a fancy, scientific phrase for a lie.
Science was meant to be hard. After all, what was science but a bunch of bored human beings trying to challenge themselves when faith became too easy?
Collect data. Form hypotheses. Test the hypotheses. Use what you learn to collect more data. And soon, the impossible would reveal itself to be a thin and pliable barrier.
“Arrest her,” Pamela said into the microphone. “Wait. Why? I’m just looking for the bathroom.” “Aren’t we all, metaphorically, just looking for the bathroom?” “I’m hungry,” said Claire. “Beat it,” said Pamela. Claire growled and ran away on all fours.
A story never stands on its own, but exists in the context of the storyteller.
Just because one bizarre thing exists doesn’t mean all bizarre things exist. And who’s to say a glow cloud is that extraordinary? For some reason tiny, hard specks we find on the inside of fruits can be put into dirt and then months later there’s a damned tree with a bunch more of that same fruit on it, also filled with a bunch more of those tiny, hard specks.
Why flounder in the void when there is no need to do so? The story ends the same way, no matter how you choose to perceive it. Why not choose to perceive it as meaningful?”
Show them a mountain. Point to a mountain and say, This was here before you, it will be here after you, it doesn’t need you in order to exist, and when you die the contour of its rocks will not be changed at all. Be cruel or kind. Reveal more than you should. Tell them anything you like. It doesn’t matter. They won’t believe you anyway.
