The Future Now

Arthur C. Clarke - visionary and storyteller

 Arthur C. Clarke died today.  One of my favourite writers, his books were an important part of my literary and political formation.   In marrying the possibilities of science with ideas around the possibility of a world in which human beings might one day live in harmony, Clarke was a great visionary.  He blurred the lines between fiction and reality with great success, despite setting most of his stories in a future which most people find fantastic.

Whenever I have that (all too familiar) conversation with people who just don't get science fiction I try to persuade them to read Clarke's Childhood's End; a book I would recommend to anyone not familiar with his work.

If I am not for myself

I have always liked Mike Marqusee.  Apart from being one of the finest writers among contemporary journalists, the fact that he is American, and is a cricket-lover and exceptional observer of, and writer about, that beautiful game has always appealed to me.

His memoir has just been published, and there's an extract in today's Guardian.  In it he talks about the time, as a teenager, when he began to question the requirement of Jews to support the cause of Zionism.

As he writes,

Whenever Jews speak out against Israel, their motives, their representativeness, their authenticity as Jews are questioned. We are pathologised. For only a psychological aberration, a neurotic malaise, could account for our defection from Israel's cause, which is presumed to be our own cause.

Of course, the tribalism he cites is to be found on both sides of the Isreal/Palestine conflict (and indeed of most disputes between competing groups).  It takes courage to take a stand against extreme and unthinking views within your own culture or community.  Like Daniel Barenboim, Mike Marqusee does the cause of justice a great service.

Knowing your limits (but having a strategy)

Last Saturday's Guardian carried an extract from Julian Barnes' forthcoming memoir, Nothing to be Frightened of.  An excellent read, and, as you would expect from Barnes, beautifully written.

I particularly enjoyed this line, where Barnes, when describing his father, says.

When I was an unforgiving adolescent, I judged him weak. Later, I thought him compliant. Later still, autonomous in his views but disinclined to argue for them.

I have a great deal of sympathy for anyone who feels disinclined to argue for their views.  And it strikes me that the more autonomous one's views, the more sensible such disinclination is.

My thoughts on this take me back to the the words of the great theologian/philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr who said, many years ago,

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

OK, the quote has been overused, and can be construed as being unambitious. But Niebuhr was not arguing that there's no point in trying to change things beyond your direct control.  By urging people to find the courage to change those things that can be changed, he was reminding us of the importance of finding the right strategy to promote change.

As Julian Barnes realised, his Father had come to the conclusion that some people just aren't worth challenging, but that is not a sign of weakness.  It is perfectly possible to be steadfast in one's own convictions, but also to recognise that others have a different psychological make-up which necessarily prevents them from seeing points of view alien to their own.

Sometimes, and alas this applies all too often on discussion fora like the one over at Comment is Free, it's simply not worth challenging people on certain issues.  That is not to say that those of us who believe in the possibility of creating a more just and inclusive world should throw in the towel, just that we need to work out a better strategy for change than simply forcing our opinions and world view down the throats of others, and then throwing up our arms in despair when they spit it back in our faces.

Mr Garfunkel, you disappoint me.

I was rather frustrated to discover that Art Garfunkel has not read my book.  Quite why the frizzy-haired one has gone to the lengths of publishing a list of every book he's read since 1968 I'm not sure, but given that he's taken this rather peculiar decision, you'd think he might have caught up with some of the more essential reading of the last decade, before releasing his list to the world.

After all, I've listened to many of his songs over the years (although I haven't kept a list).  Indeed I believe we may still have an old cassette of his and Paul Simon's greatest hits in the car.  On second thoughts, I think the kids trampled it to smithereens while we were driving down to Italy last year.

Must say though, with Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving at number 2 on his faves list, and Ouspensky's In Search of The Miraculous at number 3, I wonder if Art and I don't have more than a love of Watership Down in common after all:

 

Anyway, if he'd been paying attention, he would have noticed that the nice people at Amazon are still offering my book at a discount.  And don't believe what they say about only having two copies left in stock: it's a marketing ploy.  I happen to know they have hundreds.

Bag a bargain today

Those nice people over at Amazon have discounted my book, so if you haven't read it and would like a copy, you can buy it here.

When it was published, The Possibility of Progress garnered one or two positive comments.:  Tony Benn thought it "a deeply moral and intellectual book".  James Robertson called it "important, impressive and readable".  Tony Vickers suggested that it might be "the book that Henry George would have written if he'd been alive today."

At the book launch Tony Benn, Clare Short and Susan Kramer all turned up to give their backing to the book, more information about which you can find here.

I'm currently working on another book which explores similar themes from different angles, but while that one is in production, The Possibility of Progress should keep you going.

If you're in the United States, you can order it through amazon.com by clicking here. (Sorry, no discount).

Of course, if you can afford it, and have an independent bookshop nearby, why not get them to order it in for you?  It'll cost you the full price (£14.95) but you'll be supporting a small business, rather than a corporate giant, and contributing to the cause of progress in a tiny way.

Happy reading!

Mark