May the Force Be With You

In May of 1977 a rather low budget science fiction film was released. It was originally contracted as a two movie deal with the film American Graffiti. It went through multiple drafts of its screenplay and was originally titled "Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars"-- a rather long winded title that George Lucas later shortened down to Star Wars.

I didn't see the film early in May, but word of it spread quite quickly. I can remember being a kid and playing in my best friend's yard with Barbie dolls and she told me about this movie that she had gotten to go see at the movie theater. She told me about Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, R2D2, C3PO, and Princess Leia. That afternoon we didn't play the usual game of house with our Barbie dolls. This time our Barbies and Ken were part of a more elaborate fantasy story involving space ships and sword play and more. I followed Cheryl's lead on the story and was mesmerized. I went home and asked my mother to take me to the movies.

For the next several weeks I heard more and more stories about this movie from the other kids. Pretend play in Cheryl's neighborhood became focused on Star Wars. I remember the giant swinging rope of the hill by the mulberry tree became a great chasm that we had to swing across to evade the storm troopers. Sticks became light sabers. I went home and asked my mother to take me to the movies.

It was mid-July and hot. Very hot. My mother worked as a cook and waitress for my grandmother's restaurant. She didn't like to go to the movies. Sometimes my aunt would take my cousins and I to the movies. She had a preference for nature programs (and I owe my fondness for ocelots to her) and the last one I could remember Aunt Janet taking us to was a double feature with the Disney version of Robin Hood and a nature film about the animals of North America. I still hadn't seen Star Wars and now the kids were not simply talking about seeing the film, they were comparing how many times they had seen it. It was a bit comparable to the part in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where all of the kids have bought hundreds of Wonka bars except for Charlie. I felt like Charlie. I wanted to see the film so bad. Finally there was an afternoon that was as hot as a humid afternoon in Michigan can get. The kind of afternoon preceding a thunderstorm where the humidity is so high that sweat has little effect and the air is so stifling that you cannot breathe. My mother was complaining about the heat when she got off work. I suggested that we go to the movie theater to see the movie. The movie theater where they had not only popcorn and Star Warsbut also air conditioning. She agreed to go and we went.

The afternoon was magic. The theater was packed and we sat near the back. In retrospect this was pretty remarkable for an afternoon matinee for a film that had been out for a couple months, but that was the type of blockbuster that Star Wars was. I sat with my popcorn in absolute awe for two hours and when the Millenium Falcon came over the curve of the Death Star and Han Solo told Luke to go ahead with his mission, a huge cheer went up in the theater. People hooted, hoorayed, and clapped when the Death Star blew up. People were applauding and crying at the final scene where Princess Leia awards metals to Luke and Han.

The movie simply made people feel good. It gave them something to cheer about. It was not an overly complicated plot. Farm boy discovers long lost heritage and defeats the enemy. It did not have dark complexities. It was about good versus evil. It might have been just the right movie for the time period. A time period before the hostage crisis in Iran, Reagan, and the Bush Dynasty. A time when it felt like there was hope and a farm boy could on a wing and a prayer defeat the oppressors.

That fall most kids I knew dressed up for Halloween as some character from Star Wars. There were some very inventive R2D2 costumes. Flashlights were sold that looked like light sabers. I was envious of Cheryl's Princess Leia costume that her mother had made from a pattern. I bought a May the Force Be With You button. This button lived for many years in one of my drawers. It was like a talisman that brought back good memories-- memories of seeing Star Wars in the summer of 1977. I think I have moved too many times and I don't know it's location anymore. I may still have it. It doesn't really matter because thinking about the button and remembering the first time I saw the movie brings back the happy nostalgic feeling.

It makes me smile to wish anyone reading this reminiscent post-- "May the Force Be With You!"

That Which Remains...

Recently it was announced that there is evidence of a prehistoric settlement in St. Kilda on the remote island of Boreray. A stone building and evidence of terraced agriculture has been found. The island has sheer cliffs that seabirds nest upon and feral sheep wander. Back in the 1930's the islanders asked the Scottish government to relocate them because their way of life had become untenable. Previously archeologists had presumed that the island was only visited by peoples hunting the seabirds and gathering stray bits of wool, but this recent find changes everything. It is now thought that Iron Age artifacts are likely to be found. Typical Iron Age artifacts are things like needles, spearheads, swords, and sickles.

For any artifact to be found, it has to be tough in order to withstand erosion and decay. Organic matter breaks down over time and the Iron Age was approximately 3000 years ago. The bones of ancient people are sometimes found, but rarely skin, hair, or muscle unless there is some special condition present such as mummification due to extreme freezing, acidic, or dry conditions. Further, the most typical bones to be found are the strongest-- teeth, jaw bones, and the femur. Otzi was found frozen in the Alps and his body was so much in tact that MRI's have determined that he had tooth decay and was murdered by being shot by an arrow. Many mummies have been pulled out of bogs where the acidic water, low temperatures, and a lack of oxygen have preserved the bodies. Here is an image of Tollunde Man who was found in Denmark:


In the 1980's several caucasian mummies dating from between 3000 to 4000 years ago were found in the Takla Makan desert near Loulan. The Beauty of Loulan had straight long hair and the fabric of her garment was still in tact which is extremely rare. The extreme dry conditions of the desert made this possible:

The fabric has been analyzed and the wool was found to be from a type of Western sheep, the pattern of the weaving was a twill pattern not typically found in Asia, and the colors of the cloth indicate a possible tartan plaid. No one is certain what happened to this settlement of individuals. The mummies appear to have died primarily from smoke inhalation from camp fires rather than violence.

More often what archeologists find are things made of more durable stuff than fabric-- stone, metal, bone, and pottery sherds are what are typically found. Stone or dirt mounds that are arranged in too symmetrical of a fashion or are recognizably a dwelling are an obvious first clue that prior inhabitants were in the area. In Newfoundland a temporary Viking settlement was found at L'anse aux Meadows in the 1960's because regular mounds revealed a Viking style settlement of 8 dwellings. An organized and surveyed dig was set up and such items as a stone oil lamp, a bronze fastening pin, and a bone needle were found.


When a dig is set up, the area is cordoned off and broken down into smaller catalogued subsections. Forget Indiana Jones style "archeology", most archeology takes months or years of back-breaking work. Volunteers and workers at a dig spend hours, days, and weeks gently sifting through the soil to find bone fragments, bits of metal, and pottery sherds. These tiny puzzle pieces are the things that history is reconstructed from. More often whole sections such as the pot fragment pictured above are not what is found, something looking like this is more of the norm:


Pottery is made from clay that has been hardened by being subjected to heat. Fired pottery is very durable. It will continue to break down into smaller bits of pottery sherds, but it doesn't disintegrate into compost. Much of the world's history comes from the sleuthing of archeologists problem solving and putting things together. Imagine having to daily reconstruct your mother's favorite vase from the pieces you swept up from the floor after it fell off the shelf. Now go one farther and imagine putting that vase together and all the pieces are scattered all over the house and the house has disintegrated to ruins and you aren't sure if you are looking at a piece of the vase or not. This is the painstaking task of archeology.

Further, you know that your mother put flowers in her vase, imagine if you didn't know the purpose of the vase. What else might it be used for? If you found a number of vases and they were highly ornate and seemed to take up a rather important position in the household you may think it had some religious significance. I might think it was a coffee cup. Maybe there are rows and rows of these vases to be assembled from one dig. Maybe they are wine or oil jars? Maybe this culture cremated their dead and put them in jars and you have stumbled upon a type of crypt? Maybe these were broken jars back in their own time period and you have stumbled upon a type of garbage heap?

We have no way to travel in time and know the past completely. We can only get small glimpses of how our ancestors lived from that which remains and through our contemplation and creativity.

Celebrate!

Someone very important to me turned seven yesterday. Today he was quoted as saying "Today is the second time I am seven." Another child looked at him and replied, "You are only seven once."

I began thinking about this because I have been thinking about quite a few things lately. For any given year we get to declare that we are a certain age. Different ages come with certain expectations that can either be helpful or limiting such as the expectation that one will earn a salary in keeping with their age or one should "act one's age" meaning act in a way so as not to draw attention to oneself. It also means that young people and children aren't supposed to do things like sail around the world even though they may have the talent and the drive to do so. It can also mean that an older person may be reluctant to start in a new direction such as start a new career or go back to school because they are supposed to have all that already figured out.

On any given day, I don't really know if I feel my actually chronological age. Sometimes I feel very ancient. Other times I feel very young. Sometimes I just feel comfortable in my skin and I am not sure it is really linked to any particular age. Birthdays for me do tend to cause an automatic review of the previous year. Sometimes that review is rough if I have been through a rough year. Sometimes it is satisfying to know that I accomplished whatever I accomplished that year.

We all only get one life to live. Everyday has to count. I think rather than celebrating an annual birthday, I will celebrate each day as a chance to be whatever I am once again. Maybe with coffee and chocolate and music!

Here is some happy music:

Beatles! The Birthday Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoSUhbNntQ&feature=related
Beatles! Twist and Shout
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVlr4g5-r18
Beatles! Obla Di Obla Da
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPoNH4gidLg

A Different View

Over the last few years, my life has been re-directed in ways that I could never have predicted five years ago. It has been overwhelming, frightening, often uncomfortable, sometimes sad, sometimes exciting, world view expanding, and I have had moments of great joy. I have been very fortunate that I have several friends who have been with me through all of this. Some I only know online but this does not diminish their significance to me. Despite being exceptionally nervous, I traveled for the first time across the Atlantic ocean to a different continent to meet some of these friends. I saw real live elephants, penguins, and baboons! I am hoping that the adventures don't ever stop, I can keep posting about such magnificent things, the friends are always in my life, and I keep experiencing new things and having my views challenged, expanded, and informed!

One friend came to see me. I have wanted to go for a balloon ride to see over the mountains ever since I moved to Colorado. We went on a balloon ride! It was exhilarating. And world view expanding. And brought me great joy. We met the people from Above It All Ballooning very early in the morning so that the balloon could be inflated. Once the balloon was inflated we rode the morning air currents over one of the ridges and through the Roaring Fork Valley by Owl Creek Road in Snowmass Village, Colorado. If you look close in the first picture you can see the shadow that the balloon cast on the ground. This was a truly incredible adventure. And gave me a different view that I did not have before for which I am very grateful.

Thoughts on writing science fiction with a positive view of the future

Where have all the utopias gone from science fiction? I have written on this in the past because dystopic views seem to be in vogue. I think we could all use a little optimism in our fantasies about the future and this started me thinking about what to write if trying to tackle writing a utopia.

It occurs to me that utopian visions come out of the perceived ills and thoughts of forward momentum/accomplishment of a time period. It seems to me that what offers a glimmer of hope in the midst of the darkest corner of the dread is that which is seized upon and a utopian dream comes forth.

So in the midst of rapidly expanding industrialization that was happening on the backs of "found" energy in the form of the workers was the realization that the workers had power, then there was the idea of unions, and socialism and an equal distribution of wealth came up as idea. This was the spin on the idea of "To each according to his need and from each according to his ability." There was no assumed station or assumption of inherited or predetermined power or wealth in that idea.

In the midst of mechanized progress that created labor saving devices and generated a consumer economy to fuel the need to sell such no longer seen as luxury devices more income and a more regularized workweek became the norm and the utopian fantasy of the time became one of modern mechanized conveniences, a shortened work week and less labor. Everyone living in a dream of luxury needed items to enjoy their expanded leisure time. It was kind of like an advertisement to sell the American dream.

Out of the repression of the post war era where everyone had to be somnambulated back into their pre-war position because it was not acceptable at that time to have women and blacks holding good jobs that "men" needed to support their families came dreams of civil rights, equal opportunity, and women's rights.

Currently, I would say that our utopian visions are rooted in a desire to find an energy source that will avert environmental disaster. Another possibility is the inklings of power that are just beginning to tickle the general public's consciousness in regards to the potentialities of being globally networked, having information instantly constantly available, and having the entire planet in possession of social media applications. This could be another form of "democracy" the world has never seen. The problems to overcome are the short attention span and shelf life of anything that appears over the internet. Another possibility is the dream of what might arise out of medical/genetic advances. Genetics and bioengineering are moving forward and will quickly present a slippery slope of ethical decisions that will influence the human race on a species level in dramatic ways.

I think there is a human inclination to hoard, to have, to compete, to have more. The free market could be said to be rooted in this inclination. I would caution against saying anything akin to that this is "human nature". I have a higher opinion of the species than this and validating something that causes callus decisions that harm, because free markets are predicated on exploitation, and making it an inescapable "truth" I cannot hold to. As human beings we do not need this to be considered self evident and we are capable of regulatory systems to hold the grossest applications of the "free market" inclination in check.

In all honesty, I do not see any utopia as free from conflict. A utopia is an ideal and ideals are always fraught with conflict. In a plurality, one can always say "wouldn't it be wonderful if...", but one person's ideal will not be everyone's ideal.

I concur with an idea that a friend expressed that our current time period would be considered a utopia by past generations. Often there is a backward glance through history that casts a golden light on a previous age and we see the past through a pastoral fantasy. The current time period may seem difficult but we have a greatly expanded lifespan because of much less infant mortality, better medical practice, better water and sewage treatment, better distribution of food, etc. We live in a world that our ancestors from as little ago as 200 years may never have been able to even imagine.

I think in looking to the future to try to write a "utopia" rather than striving for the "utopia," maybe it is better to consider what the world might look like with current advances advanced farther. How might these things bring rise to new political systems? If we are globally networked, how will this affect notions of nationality? What does this do to borders? Immigration? Already we are seeing countries forming unions to have more economic and political clout on a planet where the system of interaction is a "global economy" and to wield power a "union" or "coalition" must have resources, respect, etc. How might alliances shift? What if policies and governments can never hide their secrets and public opinion holds power? What will happen if people can be genetically modified for their jobs? What if the human life span can be expanded fivefold? What if the roots/mechanism of human memory are found? What are the implications? What if a cheap clean virtually limitless power source is found or created? What will this do? What will happen to the population on the planet? Instead of seeing all these advances or progression in a dystopic way, what would they look like as part of ordinary life?

This is the stuff that a hopeful view of the future might be grown from.

Box Canyon Falls, Ouray, Colorado

Several weeks ago I visited Ouray, Colorado which is home to not only some amazing hot springs, but also several very beautiful areas that are easily accessible by hiking. One of these was the Box Canyon Falls. The Falls are about a 1/4 mile hike up into the canyon and are nestled deep inside the rocks. The roar of water is truly deafening, but the area is picturesque.

Hanging Lake, Glenwood Canyon, Colorado

About a month ago, I had the great pleasure of going on a fabulous hike up to Hanging Lake near Glenwood Canyon. The day we went the snows had not entirely melted and the ascent was fairly steep so it was a bit treacherous, but the hike was a good solid workout and the reward was the lake itself. It is spectacular and definitely worth the climb. If you find yourself on I-70 near Glenwood Springs, the trail exit is 7 miles east of Glenwood Springs. Stop, hike up to the lake, sit and breathe, and just enjoy how absolutely beautiful it is.