Your writing conjures up one of the basic philosophies of buddhism: “Everything changes and nothing lasts forever.”
Kurt Vonnegut wrote two novels that I read long ago. One was the Sirens of Titan (1959), which proposed the religion of God the Utterly Indifferent. The other was called Cat’s Cradle (1963), with an invented religion called Bokononism. Both have relevance to your reflections. Cat’s Cradle further has a novelistic invention called Ice-nine, which has an interesting allegorical potential for today’s general artificial intelligence.
I traveled the entire Route 66 as a kid with my parents on summer vacation, and have many fond memories. Then I’ve driven multiple segments since. It was a marvelous road. I’m glad you’ve gotten to enjoy it, even as its inevitable disintegration continues (as with, as you pointed out, everything else ever made or that ever will be made).
Well, that there’s strippin’ it bare, John. Brings back a lot of memories from my first traverse in the early ‘80s which, like yours, was leaving Illinois for CA in a car full of all my stuff headed to a new job/life. The Mother Road was not so far gone then, but every year time wore down a stretch here and there, bit by bit. Getting old’s not for the faint of heart, eh?
Route 66
Your writing conjures up one of the basic philosophies of buddhism: “Everything changes and nothing lasts forever.”
Kurt Vonnegut wrote two novels that I read long ago. One was the Sirens of Titan (1959), which proposed the religion of God the Utterly Indifferent. The other was called Cat’s Cradle (1963), with an invented religion called Bokononism. Both have relevance to your reflections. Cat’s Cradle further has a novelistic invention called Ice-nine, which has an interesting allegorical potential for today’s general artificial intelligence.
I traveled the entire Route 66 as a kid with my parents on summer vacation, and have many fond memories. Then I’ve driven multiple segments since. It was a marvelous road. I’m glad you’ve gotten to enjoy it, even as its inevitable disintegration continues (as with, as you pointed out, everything else ever made or that ever will be made).
Entropy is a harsh mistress.
Well, that there’s strippin’ it bare, John. Brings back a lot of memories from my first traverse in the early ‘80s which, like yours, was leaving Illinois for CA in a car full of all my stuff headed to a new job/life. The Mother Road was not so far gone then, but every year time wore down a stretch here and there, bit by bit. Getting old’s not for the faint of heart, eh?