Henry Miller's book on America is aptly titled "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare".
And don't forget H. G. Wells!
"Our world of self-delusion will admit none of that. It will perish amidst its evasions and fatuities. It is like a convoy lost in darkness on an unknown rocky coast, with quarrelling pirates in the chartroom and savages clambering up the sides of the ships to plunder and do evil as the whim may take them. That is the rough outline of the more and more jumbled movie on the screen before us. Mind near exhaustion still makes its final futile movement towards that "way out or round or through the impasse". That is the utmost now that mind can do. And this, its last expiring thrust, is to demonstrate that the door closes upon us for evermore. There is no way out, or round or through." -H. G. Wells, "Mind at the End of it Tether"
That was written 70 years ago. There has been no expiring thrust, the door has not closed on the human race forever more. We have continued to muddle through.
That's the problem with apocalyptic pronouncements: when the apocalypse doesn't come, they age badly.
4 comments:
Henry Miller's book on America is aptly titled "The Air-Conditioned Nightmare".
And don't forget H. G. Wells!
"Our world of self-delusion will admit none of that. It will perish amidst its evasions and fatuities. It is like a convoy lost in darkness on an unknown rocky coast, with quarrelling pirates in the chartroom and savages clambering up the sides of the ships to plunder and do evil as the whim may take them. That is the rough outline of the more and more jumbled movie on the screen before us. Mind near exhaustion still makes its final futile movement towards that "way out or round or through the impasse".
That is the utmost now that mind can do. And this, its last expiring thrust, is to demonstrate that the door closes upon us for evermore.
There is no way out, or round or through."
-H. G. Wells, "Mind at the End of it Tether"
Pretty much.
Enough with the HG Wells.
That was written 70 years ago. There has been no expiring thrust, the door has not closed on the human race forever more. We have continued to muddle through.
That's the problem with apocalyptic pronouncements: when the apocalypse doesn't come, they age badly.
But that doesn’t stop them from undergoing waves of recurrent popularity. I hope I can cash in on the next one.
Z
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