Follow the Fortune Cookie

Day 2 - Paradox | Star Connections

"30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" 
Day 2: Star Connections
Ponder the spectre of yourself as one human being in the over six billion people on Earth.
We are so minute as to be nonexistent. And yet, we have the power to visualize, to imagine the entirety of the cosmos.

         The first thought that came to my mind when reading today's prompt was Philip K. Dick. One of the things I love about his writing is his ability to master this concept - we are small in the world, yet we affect infinite change. I think, as writers, we do this all the time. The key to our storytelling is our ability to focus on a person or persons that will impact the cosmos as a whole; even if it's only a family, or a neighborhood, or a kingdom, or a school, or a ship (pick an environment and roll with it).

         I'm taking this into a weird place, but what the hell, right? I read a blog called Pub Rants every once-in-a-while to see what the publishing world doing. The published was talking about the cultural zeigeist, and how writer will submit similar ideas at the same time, about a subject that was barely covered before. How do we explain this kind of phenomenon? This type of collective thought among writers that have nothing to do with each other.

         Back to Philip K. Dick. When you look past the vast amounts of paranoia, there is a great sense of genius underneath. The short story "Adjustment Team", which became the basis for the "The Adjustment Bureau" movie, deals with "destiny" and how we as individuals can become the world to others. I think the question should be - are we as small as we perceive ourselves? Are we really nonexistent? Or do we keep ourselves minute in order to understand the cosmos? This sounds kind of contrived but what is the cosmos without us? Does "it" need us as much as we need "it?

         Philosophical hour is over. Rambling done.