Many science fiction writers are interested in “future histories.” Perhaps it’s a desire to control future events. Or a wish to explore another sort of time travel. Possibly, it’s nothing more than a desire to control something during uncertain times. For me, it’s about Neotopia. I have written about this before. It is my belief that we can make a good future based on human-centered values rather than idealized, elite, or globalized agendas.
It seems a common opinion that the world has fallen (or is falling) into dystopian times. Naturally, the contrary position to Dystopia is Utopia, which is hardly better. Utopias are rigid societies and sometimes, utterly stagnant. Often they are so stultified that any original thought is a crime. Does that sound good to you? It doesn’t to me.
Instead, I propose a future based on the best each of us has to give. A place where we all grow into the shapes that seem natural to us, using whatever God-given talents we have. This doesn’t mean a world of wastrels just lazing about. No. The other part of the formula is that Mankind becomes more important than the individual. And who makes the determination about this? A council of rich elites? The people with the most money? Those “in the know”? How about royalty? None of those. Those sorts of people have been in charge for a very long time and where has it gotten us? Besides, they were the ones who built up the idea of Utopia in the first place. It’s a fantastic garden for elites but not so wonderful for everyone else.
The road to Neotopia is bound to be full of potholes. We’ll make mistakes, that’s inevitable. (Trial and error learning is messy.) However, restricting your actions (and maybe thoughts) to what you’re told is a whole lot worse. It puts you in a bad position, hoping like hell that it’ll get better, some day. But it never does and you spend all your time dreaming about the past (better times) or imagining a brighter future. You’re always waiting for “your ship to come in.” Well, I have news for you. It ain’t coming unless you build it, make sure it’s sea-worthy, and then get it into the water. (The valuable cargo comes later.) It’s a tough road, requiring a lot of personal integrity, honesty, and a willingness to have egg on your face. Going against the crowd often requires a backbone of tempered steel.
Is anyone incorruptible? Actually, I think everyone probably has their price. We live in a world where we’ve been programmed to think that way. If our society had a unified purpose for the betterment of the species, I think it’d be easier to be squeaky clean. As it is, we must do the best we can with what we have.
Incorruptible is a book about the road to Neotopia. And no, I don’t approve of Linnea’s methods. I don’t even approve of her guilty way of providing for humanity in the end. Yes, she does engineer (designs and breeds) the Novagems which power the world of the future. While this is a phenomenal gift, morally her reasons are pretty shaking. This why she is an anti-heroine.
I do think that sometimes a shock is needed before you can change course. We are certainly seeing this in our world right now. I’m certain the majority of souls are suffering from PTSD at this point. To break out of the collective trauma requires brave souls to lead the way. They may not know what they’re doing, just following their guts.
In my book, Landscape of Darkness, the Threshold War of the 21st century is a turning point for humanity. It’s a decision point, forced onto the world by Linnea Jordan. Despite my not-so-nice anti-heroine I think the idea is correct. During a time of crisis a breaking point is reached somehow. Some people see it. Then actions are taken to shift the course of events. Grand gestures are not required, simply taking whatever actions are possible for us. By these small actions the flow of the river is changed. It’s not necessary to destroy an entire culture to create a new one. Unfortunately, this seems the to be what’s happening in our world. Very well, it’ll be the tough way. The old reality cracked open and the new one growing out of the broken yolk. I could have wished for a kinder and gentler route.
Incorruptible is now available in softcover on Amazon. You can also get a signed copy directly from me. Simply email me and I will arrange payment with you, then send you your copy. If you’d like some more information about the book, you can find that here.
If you’ve gotten this far in this post you get the brass ring! And today the brass ring is in the form of a short video about Incorruptible!
Cheers!
