Slippin Into Darkness

When this meme crossed my Facebook path, I immediately thought of the song, "Slippin Into Darkness", a song by the band, WAR. WAR was an under appreciated band from the late 1960s and 1970s who put out music that has stayed relevant these many years. They were political, very political. From the tales co-workers at SHOWCO told, they definitely carried big chips on their shoulders. Many main acts could be tough to work with, what with the huge egos that often accompany the rise to fame and fortune.

I did not mean to take a fork so early here. Back on topic now.

Carl Sagan was originally a super talented astronomer and planetary scientist. As his plain speak explanations of science gained popularity, it became obvious Carl was so much more than an astronomer and planetary scientist. His total immersion into studying the heavens opened his mind to question not just the stars , but the why's and what's of our relationship to the Universe in general. His speeches, essays, and books transcended the nuts and bolts of scientific notions. Carl was able to tell us how insignificant and small we were in comparison to the Universe we existed in without any hint of condescension. He told us how it was according to the best science at the time.

I did not know it, but Carl wrote the hard Sci/Fi novel, "Contact" in 1985. It was the basis for the excellent movie of the same name that premiered in 1997. I have seen the movie more than a few times now. Every time I catch something I missed in previous viewings. Excellent movie that brings up, not just possible scientific concerns, but also some of the spiritual, philosophical and yeah, even religious possibilities.

I guess it was about the same time the movie came out that I began to consider the nuances in Carl's essays and speeches. I did not read many, but I decided he was now a "Futurist", a concept I was first made aware of in Isaac Asimov's Sci/Fi "Foundation" novels and Frank Herbert's, "Dune" novels. In both, the idea of manipulating the present to achieve a historical reality in a far future were at the center of both.

Of course the top dog of prognostication of the Western World would be Nostradamus. He came the closest I guess to foreseeing where we have ended up. Of course his writings are so cryptic, a lot of the results depend on the interpretations. Not so much with Sagan's suggestions of the future. And at least in the short term since he passed, he has been quite often right on the mark.

I looked up the above quote to see if it was incomplete, abridged, messed with. Yes, it was. I understand why. The complete quote would not fit well into the 30 second minds we have been taken over by. The complete quote is so much more profound and pertinent to the here and now. I will include it now:

“I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance”

( Excerpt from Carl's book, "Demon-Haunted World" - published 1995)

"... but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance"

30 years later, that is 2025 in a nutshell.

Do your best  Keepin it 'tween the Ditches .........................................

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This post's song was chosen before I even started writing it. The mangled quote at the top made me think of WAR's, "Slippin Into Darkness" from the 1970s. A reconfigured WAR is still around after 50 plus years. producing great music. Here is a version of "Slippin Into Darkness" they recorded in a bus I think in 2018.

Enjoy.