--Jesus, King! You had to mention the X word--didn't you! You just opened a big ol' can o'worms. But I guess I set us all up for that by creating this particular forum. I can see this forum flying around from topic to topic, from ahimsa to religion, Moska to philosophy with all of us chasing each other around with our heads cut off. Sounds like great fun!! I'm serious...I will try to make an attempt to keep these discussions in the category they belong, but I can already see it won't work. --I am going to move the discussion of Xtianity to a religion topic mainly because if we look at the character Danlo,the focus of A Requiem for Homo Sapiens (the 3 books that follow Neverness), we see that ahimsa, in and of itself, is the core of what makes Danlo such a unique literary persona. ---All four books subject the reader to a massive onslaught of mathematics, genetics, philosophies, religions, concepts, beliefs and worldviews. Indeed, they are almost like a series of seminars in Quantum Mechcanics where Physics meets God, or Gods. The books propose how we can evolve the human 'potential' and take it to the next level and beyond. Some have classified this exercise as "Transhumanism". But it's just a way of looking at the universe and our existence, it is not any proposed religion, dogma or cultism--it is merely a way of being exposed to and processing a multitude of differing philosophies. --Danlo is subjected to everything and anything imaginable, and even tho many of us, if we were in his shoes in these circumstances, would be very, very, tempted to break our vows and lash out or kill in the name precieved justice, his deep belief in the principle of ahimsa prevents him from doing so-- yet he STILL discovers ways to resolve these situations. to me this is absolutely AMAZING! Like Thomas Covenant he is almost a totally helpless character--yet he perserveers!! --Ahimsa is NOT all Danlo is about--I hate to sound condesending but the issues are SO hideously complex that you really need to read the books, if you haven't done so already, to even have an inkling of what I'm talking about--new religions we've never dreamed of are created in Neverness: men attempt to become computers, computers attempt to become Gods. Danlo is exposed to an almost "Native American" way of seeing things not to mention Moska, Shih and other alien disciplines. Jeez--Pilots in general must master the arts of zazen, fugue and hallning just to even think about opening a window in the Manifold! --No I don't think that ahimsa contradicts Xtianity at all in fact it may help us see a little more clearly what Jesus was really all about! But, yes, that is another awfully big can o' worms and you'll have to follow me the Religion topic if ya wanna go fishing! Fall Far and Well Pilots!<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 8/17/06 11:32 pm </i>
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