Triumphs

Personal, writer:
"I read the sports pages in the morning to see humanity's triumphs, then toss the paper away. I don't need to know humanity's failures."

The (much mutiliated) saying above is attributed to a former Supreme Court judge. To counter the constant barrage of "how awful humanity is" from the media (which I include bloggers), I'm going to post some of humanity's triumphs, the "good things" we do.

Before you get the wrong idea, I'm no pollyanna: I'm all too aware of how sh**** most folks are. Being married with a cynical (and realistic) physician helps reinforce my view that folks are self-centered, low self-esteemed, and very, very short-sighted who just love to whine how other folks are ruining the (read their) world.

But within this abyss, I see gleems of goodness. Volunteers who--both intent and actions--are just helping people. People saying "thank you" without ulterior motive. And other tiny signs. While that may not so-call "save" humanity at the end (whatever that is), I personally don't live for it and--honestly--don't care. I know we're not smart enough to comprehend the "All" of what is our existence. My personal answer to the "why we're here": we ARE. Let's just make the best of it, otay?

Enough soapbox. Feels disgusting. Here's the first of what I consider "good news":


British Fantasy Nods Announced

Organizers announced the nominations for this year's British Fantasy Awards, given by the British Fantasy Society, Locus Online reported. Winners will be announced at the British Fantasy Convention (FantasyCon) on Nov. 23 in Stafford, England.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-10/01/08.30.books


Why'd I chose the above article? As a writer, I know the difficulties in the profression with the most being how alone one is while pursuing the art. A writer's day is spent writing, whether by computer, pen and paper, or other writing tools. Alone, eye turned inward while struggling to convey it--however imperfectly--the struggles going on in the imagination.

Thus, despite how certain writers feel about awards, I personally believe they're important to remind every writer that they're a part of a community that embraces their unique stories. I may not necessary like the story (in fact, I may hate it), but I acknowledge the contribution.