This book changed my life forever. I remember over a decade ago sitting alone in the woods when I read the ending and I cried so hard. It was the first time in my life when I cried not in despair but hope. Real hope that there was a light in the madness of the world. Since then I have read it at least once a year. I put together a personal growth curriculum based on the system depicted in Mike's church. Nine stages of growth until the student returns home to their true nature. This has lead me to discover all sorts of tools such as the Enneagram, spiral dynamics, chakras, etc. I started taking better care of my health, relating more openly and honestly with people, constantly improving so that I might share a little bit of heaven with everyone I encounter. I grew more religious yet less dogmatic, started studying deeply the various aspects of human life, opening my eyes to the real world, exploring and playing, speaking the truth and dismantling the bullshit. I can honestly say I'm always coming home to True Life. Now my best friend and I have swapped our favorite books to get to know each other better. I gave her my uncut copy of Stranger In A Strange Land while she gave me her full edition of The Tale of Genji.
I remember reading this book for the first time in my late teens. My main takeaways were: 1) Wow, society really does chain us down with countless "norms" that most of us never question in the slightest, and 2) Wow, my religious upbringing was not only mostly BS, but also limited my ability to see people for who they really were, rather than judging them on how well they fit my self righteous idea of how everyone "should" be. I totally get that women (especially) have plenty of reasons to say this book is flawed and hypocritical, BUT... It was still very helpful and eye opening to the kid I used to be. No, it wasn't perfect and no, it didn't give me everything I needed to become the best version of myself, but it was a monumental stepping stone along the way. It spurred much self discovery and helped insight a passion for critical thinking that school had not. It's really sad to see feminists who are unable to grok any goodness from it, just because it's not perfectly aligned with their current ideals. They just don't get how brainwashed some kids are... Something like this can be appealing to certain people and successfully teach them to think more critically about the beliefs they've always held without a second thought. They assume that everyone who liked the book, for whichever reasons or parts, are only liking the book for the parts that they find most offensive or appalling. That's what's wrong with an assessment like this... It wants everyone to think a certain way, which is what the book actually helps prevent. Of course you can like the book and not be in favor of cannibalism, orgies, or old school gender roles. Lighten up people! Lastly, to all the feminist critics of this book (and this is genuine): what books can you point to that are more exciting, interesting, and eye opening to the value of thinking more objectively (as a Martian would) about everyday norms? So critique all you want, but this is the BEST book to hand a narrow minded, religiously raised, teenager who has never once truly thought about anything for themselves. I'd like to see a feminist try to reach such an audience... The "wHitE mALe PrIVeLage... bE AshAMeD" rhetoric doesn't work resonate well with teens.
I want to have dinner with Professor Jackson. I just graduated a couple months ago at the age of 51 with a degree in Communication Studies and an augmented minor in Political Science from a small state university in MN, and I have been a Heinleinian for years, as an adult. I think we would have some great conversation in how Heinlein's books relate to our current political climate, and in International Politics in particular.
What took me a few years to notice was the almost non-existent physical description of the characters. Although, I had NO problem seeing these characters in my mind, while reading.
This book changed my life forever. I remember over a decade ago sitting alone in the woods when I read the ending and I cried so hard. It was the first time in my life when I cried not in despair but hope. Real hope that there was a light in the madness of the world. Since then I have read it at least once a year. I put together a personal growth curriculum based on the system depicted in Mike's church. Nine stages of growth until the student returns home to their true nature. This has lead me to discover all sorts of tools such as the Enneagram, spiral dynamics, chakras, etc. I started taking better care of my health, relating more openly and honestly with people, constantly improving so that I might share a little bit of heaven with everyone I encounter. I grew more religious yet less dogmatic, started studying deeply the various aspects of human life, opening my eyes to the real world, exploring and playing, speaking the truth and dismantling the bullshit. I can honestly say I'm always coming home to True Life.
Now my best friend and I have swapped our favorite books to get to know each other better. I gave her my uncut copy of Stranger In A Strange Land while she gave me her full edition of The Tale of Genji.
this was definitely the best science fiction book ever written the man was genius.
I remember reading this book for the first time in my late teens.
My main takeaways were:
1) Wow, society really does chain us down with countless "norms" that most of us never question in the slightest, and
2) Wow, my religious upbringing was not only mostly BS, but also limited my ability to see people for who they really were, rather than judging them on how well they fit my self righteous idea of how everyone "should" be.
I totally get that women (especially) have plenty of reasons to say this book is flawed and hypocritical, BUT...
It was still very helpful and eye opening to the kid I used to be. No, it wasn't perfect and no, it didn't give me everything I needed to become the best version of myself, but it was a monumental stepping stone along the way.
It spurred much self discovery and helped insight a passion for critical thinking that school had not.
It's really sad to see feminists who are unable to grok any goodness from it, just because it's not perfectly aligned with their current ideals. They just don't get how brainwashed some kids are... Something like this can be appealing to certain people and successfully teach them to think more critically about the beliefs they've always held without a second thought.
They assume that everyone who liked the book, for whichever reasons or parts, are only liking the book for the parts that they find most offensive or appalling. That's what's wrong with an assessment like this... It wants everyone to think a certain way, which is what the book actually helps prevent.
Of course you can like the book and not be in favor of cannibalism, orgies, or old school gender roles. Lighten up people!
Lastly, to all the feminist critics of this book (and this is genuine): what books can you point to that are more exciting, interesting, and eye opening to the value of thinking more objectively (as a Martian would) about everyday norms?
So critique all you want, but this is the BEST book to hand a narrow minded, religiously raised, teenager who has never once truly thought about anything for themselves.
I'd like to see a feminist try to reach such an audience... The "wHitE mALe PrIVeLage... bE AshAMeD" rhetoric doesn't work resonate well with teens.
I want to have dinner with Professor Jackson. I just graduated a couple months ago at the age of 51 with a degree in Communication Studies and an augmented minor in Political Science from a small state university in MN, and I have been a Heinleinian for years, as an adult. I think we would have some great conversation in how Heinlein's books relate to our current political climate, and in International Politics in particular.
- That's right in the song - We Didn’t Start the Fire - by Billy Joel - in the context of the lyrics of the song Billy Joel mentions - Stranger in a Strange Land - the book written by - Robert A. Heinlein - in 1961 - The book tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. The novel explores his interaction with-and eventual transformation of-Terran culture. - The title - Stranger in a Strange Land - comes from a Bible quote - Exodus 2:22, KJV: "And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land." - - - - - - Lyrics - We Didn’t Start the Fire - by Billy Joel - Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray - South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio - Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television - North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe - Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom - Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye" - Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen - Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev - Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc - Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron - Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock" - Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team - Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland - Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev - Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac - Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai" - Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball - Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide - Buddy Holly, "Ben Hur", space monkey, Mafia - Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go - U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy - Chubby Checker, "Psycho", Belgians in the Congo - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - Hemingway, Eichmann, ✌☺☞ "Stranger in a Strange Land" ☜☺✌ - Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion - "Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania - Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson - Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex - JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again - Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock - Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline - Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan - "Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide - Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz - Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law - Rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - But when we are gone - Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - We didn't start the fire - It was always burning - Since the world's been turning - We didn't start the fire - No we didn't light it - But we tried to fight it - - - - - - - Source: LyricFind - Songwriters: Billy Joel - We Didn’t Start the Fire lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
What took me a few years to notice was the almost non-existent physical description of the characters. Although, I had NO problem seeing these characters in my mind, while reading.
lord the sound sucks
Horrible audio
Perplexingly bad sound. But the lecture seems good.
bad accent bad sound ..shame