July 28, 2010
- Quotes from Dune -
Finished reading Frank Herbert’s Dune a while ago and wanted to gather my underlines passages here. A really great book, and a source of much knowledge hidden in there behind the words…
On logic, and the times we catch ourselves being irrational:
“Anything outside yourself, this you can see and apply your logic to it. But it’s a human trait that when we encounter personal problems, those things most deeply personal are the most difficult to bring out for our logic to scan. We tend to flounder around, blaming everything but the actual deep-seated thing that’s really chewing on us.”
On intuition, the Invisible Landscape, and the “safety” of plans:
“Muad’Dib could indeed see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so, Muad’Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. He tells us “The vision of time is broad, but when you pass through it, time becomes a narrow door.” And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning “That path leads ever down into stagnation.”
On evolution and involution:
“Life improves the capacity of the environment to sustain life.”
On the lessons of the space fire:
“…that metaphysical realm where all physical limitations are removed. And he knew fear at the thought of such a place, because removal of all limitations meant removal of all points of reference. In the landscape of a myth, he could not orient himself and say “I am I because I am here .”
On the need for dualities:
“When law and duty are one, united by religion, you never become fully conscious, fully aware of yourself. You are always a little less than an individual.”
On the staleness of life, leading to war and destruction:
“The race of humans had felt its own dormancy, sensed itself grown stale and knew now only the need to experience turmoil in which the genes would mingle and the strong new mixtures survive”
I know you aren’t my friend anymore and everything…but those were some cool guotes. I like the Fascist kind of tinge to those last ones. That last quote is very Leo Strauss actually.
Comment by Ted — July 29, 2010 @ 8:26 am
I didn’t say I wasn’t your friend Ted, I just said I didn’t want to get into certain discussions anymore. You’ve been bringing up a lot of dark stuff in the comments and I don’t want to respond to it any more. It kind of stresses me out and freaks me out a little bit too. I liked it better when you were into the free range organic human stuff, and the green architecture. You seem to run a kind of gamut from idealistic spiritual, to anarchic capitalistic, to destructive fascist tendencies. The darker it gets, the less I feel we are able to connect on issues.
Of course, you’re totally allowed to feel however you do. I just don’t know how to discuss these topics, nor do I feel that there is enough common ground between us to have any meaningful discussions on them. I have a policy to always respond to comments on this blog, so I wanted to let you know that I wouldn’t be responding any more to that last discussion.
I’m glad you like the quotes here, though their “fascist quality” is not why posted them. In fact, in the book, this “staleness” of the human race is calling to the main character to start a galaxy-wide jihad, and he’s doing everything he can to find an alternative answer. Not sure how it turns out, but the guy does eventually becomes a God Emperor. I haven’t gotten to that part yet, but the overall tone of the book was that this dumb calling out for turmoil and mixing of the genes was a bad thing, something to be avoided if at all possible, like seeing that you’re about to skid off the road and trying like mad to get the car back under control.
Have you read the Dune series? There’s 5 books total but so far I’ve only read one. Good stuff, and fairly quick reads too.
Comment by Ian — July 29, 2010 @ 11:44 am
Its all good. Its interesting that you think I’m dark.
Comment by Ted — July 29, 2010 @ 3:54 pm
The world is dark, Ian. I am just an intuitive empath trying to navigate it. Did you see the movie “Green Mile?” You don’t think that guy was dark do you, just because he could see the evil in people?
Remember when the Psychopath touched him and he felt the evil and all the crimes he had committed? That’s what its like to be me.
I see the world and I don’t blink. I not only don’t blink, but I have almost x-ray vision. So, yeah, there is the danger that like Nietzsche said that if you stare into an abyss the abyss begins to stare into you. but really I am not pre-occupied with darkness. I seek the light.
So anyway, I believe in reincarnation, Ian. Imagine the Black dude in the Green mile, decided to come back in his next life and be a powerful person, in order to learn about power.
Dune is about Royalty. Nobody gets elected King, Ian. The origin of royalty is conquest. I’m just trying to make sense of it all Ian, without blinking or looking away.
Comment by Ted — July 30, 2010 @ 11:04 am
Just finished watching the Green Mile actually. Good movie.
I guess we’re just opposites here. I see the world as light, but I am trying to figure out how best to manifest that. Same thing in the end. You’ve warned me enough times not to blind myself to what’s there. I appreciate that. And I’d say to you in exchange, just be sure you don’t go hunting demons where those demons are just trying to trick you into getting stuck in the muck. Stay light. We’ve each got our own thing to work out here. Just make sure you don’t let that abyss take you over, OK? I would make me very sad to see that happen to you.
In fighting something, there’s the danger of legitimatizing it and giving it power. And in not fighting something, there’s the danger of not acting when action is what’s needed. I think we’re coming at the same thing from different angels. Good luck, Ted.
Comment by Ian — August 2, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
I think overall the Universe is benevolent but that there is a tragic aspect to it.
Comment by Ted — August 2, 2010 @ 5:21 pm