Four years ago yesterday Leonard Cohen passed…

Has it been that long already since poet/musician/author Leonard Cohen passed away? Yes, four years since November 07, 2016. Time flies when you are having fun…

I never met the man, but listened to his music and read his words like so many did, and continue to do. His spiritual search shone through in his work and added a timeless beauty and richness there.

He was a source of inspiration and encouragement to other writers, often writing personal letters to young writers, like he did with me. I plan to get around to scanning that letter and posting it online.

Tonight it’s a candle burning in his memory and honour, and of course, Leonard Cohen’s music in the air.

The Prescience of Science Fiction Authors

The Prescience of Science Fiction Authors
By David Sloma

In his 1981 novel “The Eyes of Darkness” Dean Koontz named the pandemic virus in his story “Wuhan-400” as it starts in Wuhan, China, the same place where the current COVID-19 virus was first found. That’s a pretty big coincidence! Did he know something was going to happen there in the future? If so, how?

Philip K. Dick (PKD for short) predicted “precrime” and coined the term in his 1956 story “The Minority Report” (which was the basis for the 2002 movie “Minority Report”) – now computer models are being used to determine where precrimes will be committed before they happen and assign resources to those areas. Does it ever feel like you’re living in a PKD story? (Also in the “The Minority Report” were the Pre-Cogs who had the ability to predict the future, as “living computers.”)

These authors display what is called prescience, which means foreknowledge of future events; in essence, being able to predict the future. If we look at the word “prescience” we can see it’s made of two other words: pre and science – a natural topic for science fiction writers! Some people scoff at such an ability to foretell the future, while many more pay for fortune-tellers to do this very thing for them, often with real results (and also with fantastic failures). Then there are those people who dream of things before they happen…How is this possible?

One thing is for sure and that is many so-called science fiction or “sci-fi” writers do just that: tell the future. Or maybe they are creating it. Or also, perhaps, they are tapping into some stream of consciousness that tells them the future and they write it down. Whatever the case, the results are impressive.

There’s a theory called “The Morphogenetic field” which talks about ideas contained in an energy field that can be tapped into. This is similar to the “collective unconscious” discussed by Carl Jung, Sigmund Frued, and others. Maybe some sci-fi authors were tapping into such a thing; maybe they were following trends and extrapolating; maybe both.

As a science fiction writer myself, I think it’s been a combination of these things. Sometimes the future trends of technology and society can be easily seen and they allow the imagination to fly; other times the ideas just come and where they come from could be from many sources, both mundane and Divine. I have had the experience of being surprised when something I’ve written comes true in the world, and I’m sure many more authors have had this experience too, not just the ones I’ve listed.

I’ve never quite considered science fiction stories to be purely fiction. It seems the world is quickly catching up to that notion.

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Copyright © 2020 David Sloma. All rights reserved.

http://www.davidsloma.com

Neil Peart’s Passing

Just heard the sad news today that Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the band Rush, has passed away.

I heard the news about Neil on the radio (quite fitting), listening to Neil’s hometown station, no less; there was lots of commentary and playing of Rush songs, and people calling in with memories to share. So, that helped to take out the sting a little, knowing many of us were going through this together, even if physically distant.

I grew up in suburbs and it meant a lot to hear Rush at the time with their song “Subdivisions.” That there was someone out there who could put words and music to my teenage feelings was pure magic and friendship over the airwaves. “The Spirit of Radio,” indeed.

I had the good fortune to see Rush live several times, and it was always an incredible experience! I got to meet Geddy and Alex, and they signed some of my albums, but the Professor remained elusive, as was his way. I did read most of his books, and they gave further insight into what he went through as a public figure (beyond the lyrics of “Limelight”), so it was understandable.

Thanks, Neil, for all the great music and words, you and your work will not be forgotten.

RIP Ghost Rider/Professor