The Subtle Knife

I just finished Book II of the trilogy, His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman, entitled The Subtle Knife. I enjoyed but was not very impressed by the first one, The Golden Compass, and also heard the movie wasn't very good. The second book, however, is wonderful. The first one set the stage for a wonderful world, and the second takes it a runs away with the ideas and concepts and characters (similar to the first and second Matrix movies). I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a fantasy-exploration of original sin and the question of "What is consciousness?"

I also found this quote most interesting:

"I found folly everywhere, but there were grains of wisdom in every stream of it. No doubt there was much more wisdom that I failed to recognize. Life is hard, Mr. Scoresby, but we cling to it all the same." (281)

This line of thinking falls well into my trial-by-error philosophy, similar to the "trial-and-error" method used by many. Inevitably we will come up short in our endeavors, as we reach the limits of ourselves or others. Yet even in the shortcomings were are graced with nuggets of knowledge that help illumine our minds.

And the other related thought is also important: Indeed, life is hard, yet it's all we have. So cling to it - it's a choice we make every day.

As I'm reminded in the film The Dead Poet's Society, Carpe Diem!

Have you seized the day today?