Don't Ask, Don't Yell

This has been an interesting time on the ol' Facebook feed. As gun control, global warming, reproductive rights, and now, of course, marriage equality have been in the news, it's been downright schizophrenic.

Tuesday many of my Friends (and I) adopted the red equal rights icon for our profile pics. And some of my Friends probably got rather upset. I didn't do it to upset anyone, and I do hope my Friends don't interpret it as my bashing their beliefs. The thing is, my Friends (I figure the capital letter is a clue that I'm talking about Facebook friends) are a pretty diverse group.

Some of my coworkers are pretty conservative, and some are pretty liberal. I'd have to say that most of my family comes down on the right side of the socio-political spectrum (although some are more toward the center), as do some of my church family. Most of my theater family is firmly on the liberal side of things. It's sometimes amusing and sometimes painful to watch the various comments, post, likes, and shares. Again, I don't doubt that mine probably irritate people sometimes.

Time for me to come out of the closet. No, not THAT closet. I am not gay. However, I am definitely gay-friendly. In fact, I am, wait for it...a Liberal. I changed my voter registration to Democrat before the 2008 election. (Though I had already been starting to drift left.) In fact, I have found myself in one of the smallest of demographics: the Christian Left.

What does this mean? Well, I find myself with a foot in both worlds. And in some cases I feel like an outsider in both. Yes, I am a religious (or spiritual, if you prefer) person. I believe in God, Jesus, the Trinity; I am part of a local church community. BUT I don't usually line up with the Religious Right. I honor the Bible, but I think many Christians read it way too literally (although it's only literal in their own interpretation of it). I am embarrassed at the way some people (and they're usually the most vocal) use Scripture as a bludgeon. In fact, I'm embarrassed by a lot of the right-wing evangelical behavior. Seems a lot like the sort of things that Jesus used to call the Pharisees to task for.

I think every human being should be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion—the same things I would want, and I daresay the same way that Jesus treated everyone. Sad to say that so many of the world's troubles come from how the Church botched all that up.

We can't go around assaulting people with what we believe; I never want to be guilty of that.

So if you want to know what I think of things, feel free to ask me. Or check out my Facebook page to see what I post, share, and like. And if you are offended by any of it, I do apologize for that. But I don't apologize for what I think, feel, or believe. And I also won't scream them at you. I respect your right to have your own positions, so please respect mine. Honestly, there should be room in our discussion for both.

The Wheel Turns

The Wheel of Times turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In one age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Thus begins The Eye of the World by the late Robert Jordan. It was first published in 1990 and began an epic 14-volume series (often referred to by fans as WOT) that reaches its conclusion in the recently published A Memory of Light. According to interviews with Jordan early on, he had originally intended the series as a trilogy, but it took on a life of its own. (I'm sure the publisher urged him on, relishing the prospect to sell that many more books!)

Such a long series will inevitably have ups and downs. WOT certainly does. Many parts of the books pull the reader in, and Jordan was a master of world-building, as well as creating relate-able, fully realized characters. And most of the action sequences have been exciting. However, Jordan did have a verbose streak, and there were parts of some books that just bogged down. (Not unlike the infamous Whiteness of the Whale chapter in Moby Dick.) I would say along with many readers that the first four volumes were a tremendous start, but the series got very muddled in the next several books. Common theory goes that the publisher encouraged Jordan to extrapolate sections to fill more books, particularly around books 8-10.

Ironically, after Jordan's untimely death due to cardiac amyloidosis, Brandon Sanderson filled in for the last three volumes (which Jordan had originally intended as one), and these last three books were—in my opinion—back to the thrilling and engaging writing that hooked so many in the first place. Currently, I am 15 chapters into A Memory of Light, the final book, and I often have difficulty putting it down.

It struck me that WOT represents most of my adult life! I've been with the books since the beginning, when I was about 20 or 21. It's been like a companion in my journey through my thirties and into my forties. The various books will call up for me what was going on in my life at the time. And for better or worse (mostly better, I'd say) they've informed my opinion of good writing—particularly good fantasy writing.

The old saying is that everyone has at least one book in them. And I think I might, at that. Just not 14.