Without Coincidence...

Without coincidence, there are no good stories.

I have started reading Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. It is by far the greatest book i have ever read, and i am only a third of the way through it. The language and grammar of this book is far superior to so many other books out there. It is a weird coincidence for me coming across it. I can not remember who or where I heard about this, but the name of the book was stamped into my mind. I asked around to my friends I had talked to the previous weeks that may have mentioned it, but most of them have not even heard about it! I came to the conclusion that i had not talked to any of my friends about this book, yet I had found a desire to want to read it immediately.

I embarked on an adventure that took me downtown Stillwater, to the Valley Book Store. I had parked on the other side of downtown, wanting to walk in the beautiful weather of the current day. It was quite relieving to finally get down there an enjoy what the city had to offer, even if it was for a brief outing. When i had gotten there, I realised i had not been in this store for a few years, which was depressing in its own way...I had not been reading much. I wondered around looking at all the sections, I was lost in a sea of books. I kindly asked for some help from the younger female employee and she briskly pointed me in the right direction. Once I had paid for the book, i kindly thanked the young misses once again, and continued on my little adventure back to my vehicle.

I got in my car and headed homeward. Once I arrived, i sat down immediately and began to read. I quickly understood what I was getting into, this book was long...over 1000 pages. I mean, it doesn't seem like much, the paperback book I had bought made it seem manageable, but once i had started to read, it became quite clear that this would be a major undertaking. The words flow together wonderfully, everything about the way this book is written makes me overjoyed. It had been a truly remarkable find.

I can not explain this book in full, or in part for that matter. It is a work or Art, if i dare say so. I shall use one of my favorite quotes thus far as an example of the breadth of language used in every passage.

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He glanced at her and did not answer. Then he said, "I like cigarettes, Miss Taggart. I like to think of fire held in a man's hand. Fire, a dangerous force, tamed at his fingertips. I often wonder about the hours when a man sits alone, watching the smoke of a cigarette, thinking. I wonder what great things have come from such hours. When a man thinks, there is a spot of fire alive in his mind -- and it is proper that he should have the burning point of a cigarette as his one expression."

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That little passage is amazing, truly amazing. It is just a simple conversation between a newsstand operator and Miss Dagny Taggart.

The back of the book's description caught me a little off guard too, but in a sense that made me want to read it even more...

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The astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world -- and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder -- and the rebirth -- of man's spirit.

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Please check this book out, there is no way you can be disappointed in the least bit.

Life, the Universe, Everything...

Shorter post today, just putting this idea out there.

I was recently talk to a friend i havent spoken with for about 2 years. We were on the topic of space travel and if we should be doing it now, or making an effort to do so. I said of course we should be trying to search for other life forms, even if it seems futile. he gave me the idea that it might not be the best thing to do at this moment. He said that if we were to visit other planets and what not, that we would be introducing the planet/ecosystem to our sicknesses. Which, as we should understand, is not the best thing to do. He proposed that we first find the cure for these illnesses before we even think about venturing out. After he had discussed that, i came to agree with him.

Just some food for thought.

Who am I?

Along with being absent from my blog, I have been doing some deep thinking about my place in the universe and what I am doing with my time here, these are just two of many countless topics i've thought about. This post will be me rambling about my life for the past few months.

I wrote this today, in a sort of depressed mood from last night/this morning.

Walking on the plane of existence. Where the light fades to darkness. No one with me to tell me to stay. Why not try it? The decision is mine this time, no outside influence to hold me back. I sit there for an eternity, trying to choose, waiting for someone to stumble upon me so we can choose together.

My thoughts, as of late, have been similar to that. Unsure of the future, somewhat disdained about the past, living day to day in present.

My friend just got back from basic training. He was here for 10 days. It was really great to see him again and really sad to see him go back for more training. We had some great conversations about the meaning of life, who we are as beings. It will be nice to see him again this fall when he comes back for a few days.

More to come soon.

I am back, kinda

I've been really bummed lately so i felt that i might as well write it down somewhere, so expect a few posts to follow this one within the next few days.