17-01-2022, 10:48 AM
“It is confusing, yes. Mankind pretends to love nature but destroys it wherever he goes. We claim life is sacred, but we leave it no room in which to exist. Not long ago, when we said every human is unique & holy, our children were taught which types of unique & holy were the best & which they should hate.”
“Not long ago?”
“Before we met any outsiders, people not of Earth. Now we don’t learn to hate humans anymore.”
“Just outsiders eh?” She laughed, a truly amused sound. “You. How are you different from most?”
“I’m an arkist. We’re suspicious of following anyone. We like to figure things out for ourselves. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we know that we aren’t the best or wisest creature in the galaxy; we also know we aren’t nothing. When we consider that we will die, we struggle to do something with the time we have. We don’t confuse heedless & selfish proliferation of our race with reverence for life. We know that other creatures are sometimes better than we are. We try to learn from them.”
The companions, Sheri Tepper.
"Some thawed proved difficult at first, but sooner or later Fan’s virus would catch up & set them right. There was no need for any Doctrine, not per se. Not when complaints were so few & helping hands so many. Not when everyone behaved as they should. ………….. There are things the patch didn’t do. It didn’t stop criminality. Not altogether. However, it put a huge dent in it. Why take advantage of people when you feel better looking out for them? Why resort to theft when society truly wants to meet all your needs?
It didn’t stop stupid decision making. Still no shortage of that. But it made the vast majority of those stupid mistakes well intentioned.
It didn’t stop magical thinking. It put no end to faith-based reasoning. Nor did it unify everyone under the same religion. Rather, it made everyone more tolerant of other’s beliefs. It didn’t create universal vegetarianism, but it encouraged it. Those who did hunt did so for food, not sport. Compassion with the prey made it so no one would take a life lightly.
It didn’t put an end to jealousy, deceit or hard feelings, but it pushed people to talk their problems out & be a little less cruel than they otherwise would.
One thing it did do, Fantasia had warned us about ahead of time. It contributed to a lot of consensual sex. Question: What do you get when sharing pleasure with someone gives even greater chemical highs & even greater feelings of trust? Answer: A Puritan’s nightmare. Along with Chimpanzees, Bonobos re our closet genetic relatives, but for years they were barred from zoos for fear that their constant sex play might offend delicate visitors. Fan joked that she’d unleashed everyone’s inner Bonobo.
Better to be fucking than fucking each other over.
Everfree, Nick Sagan
"The screed that followed bemoaned the decline & fall of the white man, a slow but sure reduction of power over several centuries. The worrisome feeling one has of slipping down the food chain, with those unlike you increasingly vilifying you as a racist, sexist, imperialist, no matter what your personal beliefs might be. Wincing as multiculturalism overtakes your society, celebrating every heritage but your own. Stinging from memories of what once was, especially in the face of China casting a wider-than-ever shadow of influence, & both America & Europe weakened by the Clash of Civilisations, unsure what to do."
Everfree, Nick Sagan.
"Did anyone ever tell Toscanini or Bach that he had to choose between music & family, between art & a normal life?
Elizabeth Mann Borgese 1963"
"Witness the records of the courts with the wife beaters & slayers, the rapists, the seducers, the husbands who have deserted their families, the schemers who have defrauded widows & orphans - witness all these, & then say if men are the natural protectors of women."
Susan B Anthony 1902
"Whatever the motivation, male sexuality & violence in our culture seem to be inseparable. James Bond alternately whips out his revolver & his cock, & though there is no known connection between the skills of gun-fighting & love-making, pacifism seems suspiciously effeminate."
Susan Griffin 1971
Feminist quotes, various.
“Not long ago?”
“Before we met any outsiders, people not of Earth. Now we don’t learn to hate humans anymore.”
“Just outsiders eh?” She laughed, a truly amused sound. “You. How are you different from most?”
“I’m an arkist. We’re suspicious of following anyone. We like to figure things out for ourselves. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we know that we aren’t the best or wisest creature in the galaxy; we also know we aren’t nothing. When we consider that we will die, we struggle to do something with the time we have. We don’t confuse heedless & selfish proliferation of our race with reverence for life. We know that other creatures are sometimes better than we are. We try to learn from them.”
The companions, Sheri Tepper.
"Some thawed proved difficult at first, but sooner or later Fan’s virus would catch up & set them right. There was no need for any Doctrine, not per se. Not when complaints were so few & helping hands so many. Not when everyone behaved as they should. ………….. There are things the patch didn’t do. It didn’t stop criminality. Not altogether. However, it put a huge dent in it. Why take advantage of people when you feel better looking out for them? Why resort to theft when society truly wants to meet all your needs?
It didn’t stop stupid decision making. Still no shortage of that. But it made the vast majority of those stupid mistakes well intentioned.
It didn’t stop magical thinking. It put no end to faith-based reasoning. Nor did it unify everyone under the same religion. Rather, it made everyone more tolerant of other’s beliefs. It didn’t create universal vegetarianism, but it encouraged it. Those who did hunt did so for food, not sport. Compassion with the prey made it so no one would take a life lightly.
It didn’t put an end to jealousy, deceit or hard feelings, but it pushed people to talk their problems out & be a little less cruel than they otherwise would.
One thing it did do, Fantasia had warned us about ahead of time. It contributed to a lot of consensual sex. Question: What do you get when sharing pleasure with someone gives even greater chemical highs & even greater feelings of trust? Answer: A Puritan’s nightmare. Along with Chimpanzees, Bonobos re our closet genetic relatives, but for years they were barred from zoos for fear that their constant sex play might offend delicate visitors. Fan joked that she’d unleashed everyone’s inner Bonobo.
Better to be fucking than fucking each other over.
Everfree, Nick Sagan
"The screed that followed bemoaned the decline & fall of the white man, a slow but sure reduction of power over several centuries. The worrisome feeling one has of slipping down the food chain, with those unlike you increasingly vilifying you as a racist, sexist, imperialist, no matter what your personal beliefs might be. Wincing as multiculturalism overtakes your society, celebrating every heritage but your own. Stinging from memories of what once was, especially in the face of China casting a wider-than-ever shadow of influence, & both America & Europe weakened by the Clash of Civilisations, unsure what to do."
Everfree, Nick Sagan.
"Did anyone ever tell Toscanini or Bach that he had to choose between music & family, between art & a normal life?
Elizabeth Mann Borgese 1963"
"Witness the records of the courts with the wife beaters & slayers, the rapists, the seducers, the husbands who have deserted their families, the schemers who have defrauded widows & orphans - witness all these, & then say if men are the natural protectors of women."
Susan B Anthony 1902
"Whatever the motivation, male sexuality & violence in our culture seem to be inseparable. James Bond alternately whips out his revolver & his cock, & though there is no known connection between the skills of gun-fighting & love-making, pacifism seems suspiciously effeminate."
Susan Griffin 1971
Feminist quotes, various.
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)