Tomorrow's news today

 

Who can foresee the future or weave it from the past? Who knows what a man will speak or when he'll breath his last?

The future lies hidden in impenetrable cloud, while the past, with each expiring second, passes beneath a shroud.

The present rests precariously--yet perpetually--on the horns of fugacious dilemma. Where can today's video screen connect with tomorrow's antenna?

Show me the pavilion wherein lies futurity's looking glass. Who'll march victorious from the field, and who'll remain cold upon the grass?

Murky night obscures the way, so we seldom see beyond today. Tomorrow neither reveals itself nor deigns its secrets to betray. 

I may be a mess, but I do shower--that's where the first lines of that mess above came to me. Wouldn't decisions be easier if we could see how they're going to work out? That reminds me, Iago, Atu, and Alex have a discussion about that very idea and the problem of unintended consequences in Truth in Flames, Book 5 of the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. Here's part of it:

--“Every stick has two ends. Every decision has a consequence. When we choose one, we also choose the other. Often, both choice and consequence are easily seen. It is the host of consequences unforeseen and hiding in the darkness beyond our comprehension that we fear most. Every stick we take up may be connected to a network of others. If one could see every stick, every consequence, would the decision be any less difficult? Understanding all the consequences might force us to select between exquisitely painful choices. Mere mortals are not made to cope with such manifold manifestations of the mysterious future. Indeed, the future is formed by a network of our own decisions and the choices made by so many others that we do cripple ourselves in compacting the whole weight of all the ponderous freight that follows upon that single point.”--

 I'll leave you to cogitate on that while you will.

 

About Time

 

 

 My, my, my, look at the time. It's that time of the week again. A blank blog whispers for attention. Time is slip sliding away, and slipping, slipping, slipping into the future. Who invented time? Was it a conspiracy by clock makers to sell their previously worthless wares? When did time start? Will it end? Could we have measured time in a different manner than seconds, minutes, hours, and days? Is it true that the first sun dial was actually a wrong number? 

These may not burning questions. Although, that could be a unit of measurement--the time it takes for on object of a particular size, shape, and weight to burn could be 1 burn. That could be useful. It's visual. In fact, I believe candles have been used to mark the passage of time, which is useful at night when the power is out for the sun dial--but that still doesn't answer the question, "Does anyone really know what time it is?"

Time flies--which may explain the delays at the airports. Time waits for no man--but it's been known to loiter for a lady. Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once--but how long would that take? If time didn't exist, would patience still be a virtue?

_____________________

In case I forgot, here's an interview featuring me.

On the writing front, the latest novel proceeds. I hope to finish in a week. I continue to add details to my upcoming presentation on forging unforgettable stories. It has been a helpful exercise. When I get a feeling that something isn't right with some section of writing or character, I can ask questions based on material in the presentation to arrive at the precise nature of the shortcoming. In fact, I don't have to ask questions; I read it and realize what's absent in the literary alchemy.