One day I was reading and stumbled across this:
Miss McCleethy shakes her head thoughtfully.
"True progress can only happen when there is safety first."
"What if safety...is only an illusion?" I say, thinking aloud.
"What if there is no such thing?"
"Then we fall. Chaos," says Miss McCleethy, annoyed with my questions.
"What if that is only the beginning of something new? What if, once we let go, we are freed?"
"Would you take that chance, Miss Doyle?"
----An excerpt from The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Thoughts?
it makes me interested in the book for one.
ReplyDeleteWould I take that chance? If given no other information, probly not. Though I suppose what it would really depend on is the price; what you have to gain versus what you have to lose, which makes it a case by case basis.
The book's alright. It's different and I think it has a lotta symbolism in it. It's the third and last one of a series called A Great and Terrible Beauty.
ReplyDeleteThe way I take it is as complete freedom. Becoming inhibited. But I guess that would come in a case by case basis. Hm.
I can sympathize though. Part of why I love travel and reading is Im in love with the idea of adventure,
ReplyDelete"freed" and "flying" go into that.
symbolism hmm? me gusta! I like that you called it weird, meets another of my criterea
I love the idea of adventure, too!
ReplyDeleteHaha. I think you'd like that series, then. It has tons of adventure. It also involves magic and realms and strange creatures. I like it.
that idea pretty much sums up Fight Club. okay, so a major part of Fight Club.
ReplyDelete"Its only after disaster that we can be resurrected, its only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything."
"I found freedom, losing all hope was freedom."
"Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing."
I digress. Of course, freedom in the Fight Club sense is all about falling (as opposed to falling). It takes an atypical approach to depicting chaos and purposelessness--showing these things as good. Its very countercultural--which I find very interesting. Ideas like self destruction being liberation from standards you and I are expected to adhere to.
I guess in the end, what I take from it is this: freedom seeking people will find freedom in their own way. Be it self destructive, self productive, self traversing, or self deception.
The part of the quote where she mentions "chaos" reminds me of The Time Machine and Chemistry and two books from C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy (which is less about space than other things). The whole concept of the theory that eventually the whole universe will fall into chaos is intriguing. Because it means that the only chance that we, as a person, a group, a nation, a world, or a universe, is to change things ourselves. I'm not sure that made sense, but you did ask for my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the actual book made me so mad! The first two were good, but it was not so good after that. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the first two were good. I'm halfway through the third... It's alright. The last one is the most different, that's for sure.
ReplyDeletewhich books are you talking about?
ReplyDeleteSpace Trilogy or A Great and Terrible Beauty?
We are talking of A Great and Terrible Beauty. The Space Trilogy is also awesome, if you get into that deep, philisophical thinking mode thing. yeah for C.S. Lewis!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading The Sweet Far Thing though it took me more than a month to finish it. Long but a fascinating journey for me. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I did pause for a while at that excerpt in the book. Was trying to understand what McCleethy meant.
Yeah, it took me longer than a month, too. I'd never thought about that concept until I read that. I like it a lot.
ReplyDelete