Today, I found out that one of my favorite authors has passed on. And so it goes…

It started with Harrison Bergeron and his last stand against the Handicapper General. I learned that although we are legally equal under the Constitution, no amount of legislation can make us truly equal. And that was when I was in middle school, in the (b)light of the Rodney King riots.

Philosophically speaking, there is a lot of sense in Vonnegut’s schema, as seen in Cat’s Cradle. (Although I adhere to the Lutheran Confessions– all the way quia.)

Over the years, I’ve encountered many a granfalloon, lots of foma, and especially too much of these: *. Yet, I’m blessed to meet people who exhibited kindness and love and I love them dearly. They may be the fellow members of my karass. I know that my Prediger is one of them, in fulfilling what God has called us to do– even in the midst of chaos. Mr Vonnegut has taught the world to laugh and think critically, especially at those who presume that they are doing things “For Your Best Interests”. Most of all, he exhorted us to care and love those who needed to be loved. Now, that’s a very tall challenge, delivered by a guy who only believed in the here and now:

I am, incidentally, Honorary President of the American Humanist Association, having succeeded the late, great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in that totally functionless capacity. We had a memorial service for Isaac a few years back, and I spoke and said at one point, “Isaac is up in heaven now.” It was the funniest thing I could have said to an audience of humanists. I rolled them in the aisles. It was several minutes before order could be restored. And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, “Kurt is up in heaven now.” That’s my favorite joke.

He figured that nothing would happen after death and in that light, he worked his hardest in his vocation and brought enjoyment to many while he can. He did.

God made mud.
God got lonesome.
So God said to some of the mud, “Sit up!”
“See all I’ve made,” said God, “the hills, the sea, the sky, the stars.”
And I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around.
Lucky me, lucky mud.
I, mud, sat up and saw what a nice job God had done.
Nice going, God.
Nobody but you could have done it, God! I certainly couldn’t have.
I feel very unimportant compared to You.
The only way I can feel the least bit important is to think of all the mud that didn’t even get to sit up and look around.
I got so much, and most mud got so little.
Thank you for the honor!
Now mud lies down again and goes to sleep.
What memories for mud to have!
What interesting other kinds of sitting-up mud I met!
I loved everything I saw!
Good night…

The mud that I am salutes the mud he was. I wondered what would have happened if he was illuminated by the Christian faith. He could have been one of the best kick-butt Christians who ever existed. Goodness knows, we need guys like him in the Church-at-large who could strip away our follies and invite us to laugh at ourselves. And so it goes…

Thanks for the laughs and the reads.