Doctor Strange: Issue 09 – The Last Days of Magic Pt 4

For me, magic has always been connected with the subconscious, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and a youthful wonder of the world around us. Magic is the means by which we open our minds to the part of our psyche that is the source of all artistic and spiritual expression. So what happens when magic dies? We discover that in the first page of this installment in the graphic series.

Jiao’s dreams kept her going, even when she wanted to die. She could go anywhere in her dreams, and she’d wake knowing with all her heart that her trips had been real. But Jiao hasn’t dreamed at all for over a week now, and she’s starting to wonder if a life without dreams is really worth living.

At night in the orphanage, little Konstantin loved talking to the thing under his bed. But the thing hasn’t spoken for days, and now there’s a weird smell coming from underneath the mattress. Konstantin is afraid to look into the darkness down there, because he knows what he’ll find.

Mamen is 119 years old, and after 99 years of marriage, her husband is dying. The grapes that grow in their secret arbor had always made them feel young again, but a week ago those vines began to rot. And now, so has Mamen’s husband. She doesn’t know why she’s come here. None of them do. Even though they’ve come from far and wide. They only know that something important has been lost from the world. And that they’re willing to do whatever they can to bring it back.

Right now, we are living in what feels like a very turbulent time. Strong forces are in opposition. There is tension between people who are ready to advance our collective society and people who seek to roll back the advances we have made, and both sides are understandably fearful. Change is scary, but change is inevitable. I just hope that the change we see in the very near future is one that embraces the magic of our true spiritual nature. For if we succumb to the negative forces, we will be thrust into a world void of creativity and spirituality, and that is a world I would rather not want to live in.

Doctor Strange: Issue 08: One Book Can Change The World

This issue is the third installment of the “Last Days of Magic” arc. While the story and the artwork are both great, it was this one panel, this one quote, that really connected with me.

“One book can change the world.” This is so true. In fact, one idea, one thought, or one action can change the world. This is why I read and promote reading to others. Major changes in history have resulted from a spark of inspiration, often from a book, poem, or other work of art. This is why the humanities are so important and should be supported by our educational system.

I really have nothing else to say; this quote sums it all up succinctly. Now, go read something and get inspired to change the world.

Salman Rushdie – Public Events, Private Lives: Literature and Politics in the Modern World

I have a confession to make: I have not read any of Salman Rushdie’s books… yet. But this will be changing soon. Last night I went to see the author give a public lecture at the University or North Carolina – Asheville, and I have to say, he was one of the more inspiring writers I have had the privilege of hearing speak.

He touched on a lot of current issues regarding politics, social trends, and the role of literature in these changing times. He openly criticized Donald Trump, censorship, and the proliferation of misinformation, or “truthiness,” associated with the internet and the digital age. But there were two themes in his lecture that resonated with me on a deep level: the trend among students to attempt silencing ideas that challenge their established beliefs, and the role of the novel in bringing “news” to readers.

Regarding students silencing ideas, this is something about which I often think, particularly regarding the BDS movement (boycott, divestment, sanctions) directed against Israel. I have heard horrific stories about professors, speakers, artists, etc., being shouted down, threatened, and silenced on campuses for expressing their support for Israel, all under the guise of support for the oppressed Palestinians. What Rushdie asserted in his lecture is that this is essentially censorship, and it is censorship perpetrated by the group of people who should be most vehemently opposed to the censorship of ideas. Rushdie claims that it is the responsibility of artists and professors to challenge the established beliefs and to open for discussion ideas that are uncomfortable and sometimes contradictory to one’s personal beliefs. I’m paraphrasing here, but he basically said that students who claim they do not feel safe when forced to consider challenging ideas have no place in a university and should instead be in a pizza parlor, where they will be safely sheltered from having to listen to ideas that contradict their way of thinking.

The other part of his lecture I found fascinating concerned the role of the novel in presenting news to the modern reader. This puzzled me at first until Rushdie elaborated. He claimed that with the demise of print newspapers, the reading public no longer has access to legitimate news sources, that digital news sources have yet to be able to fill that gap. Instead, we get opinions as opposed to reporting. I would counter that print newspapers have historically been biased also, but I could accept that news media has become more opinion-centric as of late. Then Rushdie went on to explain how literature and the novel provide a side of the news that is lacking in usual coverage, which is the human side, the internal aspect of living in an increasingly smaller world. The way we can understand what it is like to be in situations is through literature. He used the example of The Kite Runner which provides a deeper insight into life in Afghanistan than any news story showing explosions and statistics of how many were killed. His words resonated with truth. My belief in the power of art and literature was validated and boosted.

I left the lecture excited to read, to write, and to discuss ideas. I also left with a newly bought copy of Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children tucked under my arm. And while the book has been temporarily placed on my sagging shelf, I suspect that I will be reading this one before the others that have been patiently waiting for me to open their covers.