The Dreams of which Stuff is Made - by Wyrdbard
No, this isn't about quantum physics. This is about fantasy, science fiction, horror, and all the rest. It is also about the human spirit.
Our hostess has more than once said we are a storytelling species. (And while I have issues with the also oft cited Hogfather quote, the point it makes is good.) Wisdom is usually dearly bought, and each generation tries to pass along that which is right and true to the next. Or at least the functional ones do.
Which is where storytellers come in. Science fiction and fantasy and yes, horror, all serve a purpose. Fantasy is "What dreams should I dream and how do I tell good dreams from bad ones?" Science fiction is "I have dreams, what do I do with them? And what if people chase the bad ones?" Horror is "When our dreams go terribly wrong this is the result. Be careful." (Though I will speak less of horror than the other two. It is not my genre in any sense.)
Now, this does not mean each story should be a sermon. But stories, by their nature, play with ideas. Truth is a slippery creature, how do you show someone it is important? Stories can often do that more clearly than raw facts. This sort of thing is why Sabaton is so effective at hooking people into history. Yes, they get details wrong, but the STORY is compelling and that pulls people in to go find the facts.
In defense of fantasy:
Fantasy is the realm of dreams. What if? What if we could... it rarely concerns itself with how except in the mad scramble of the REACH for the thing that works right now. Also, by its touch with the mystical, shows faith more clearly than Science Fiction usually manages. Faith in science fiction often becomes another fact. It can be a human fact but the wonder of faith is often lost in Science Fiction, where it more easily comes to the fore in Fantasy.
Dreams can be good, dreams can be bad. Fantasy looks at them, and little fancies spun out to their conclusion let us test them without touching the real world with them. Fantasy answers "Can dragons be killed?" Fantasy answers "Can life go on?" Fantasy answers "Can men of good will rise to the occasion?" Fantasy answers "What darkness tempts men's souls?" Fantasy also answers "Can a man resist the darkness?" Fantasy answers "What are the duties of a Leader?"
Fantasy also looks at 'where do we come from'. With its roots in the mythological it can help us set our roots deep in our past. "What drove our ancestors?" We have their stories and myths and legends, and while some things are shockingly different, courage and honor and truth weave through them. So there is a connection and a good one. Fantasy lets us examine all those things so we can learn from mistakes, and embrace strengths of the past.
Many of the old things are under attack. The foundation upon which the future is built is under attack. Strength is derided unless it is the strength of the thug. Yet, as long as Aragorn, son of Arathorn is spoken of, as long as the High King Peter steps out on to the field with Miraz the Usurper, as long as a mouse named Mathias opposes a besieging bilge rat (Redwall for those unfamiliar), strength and courage an honor have not lost their hold.
In defense of Science Fiction:
If Fantasy deals in what dreams are and the past, Science Fiction deals in what comes beyond dreams. Science Fiction deals in 'can we make the dream real?' Science Fiction also deals in 'should we make the dream real?' Which is why there is more cautionary Science Fiction than Fantasy. Fantasy looks to the stars, Science Fiction touches them.
Rather than "Can the dragon be killed?" Science Fiction asks "How do we kill the dragon, and what comes after?" Science Fiction asks "How does life go on?" Science fiction asks "What causes men of good will to rise to the occasion?" Science Fiction asks "What kind of system leads to leaders that follow their duty and what is an appropriate duty?" Science Fiction asks "How does man resist the darkness?"
Science Fiction asks more than it answers. It is the playground of the future. It builds on that which goes before and tries to reach the next star. If Fantasy gives roots, Science fiction gives up reaching branches. It seeks to go further and fast and seeks the NEW. The possibilities. Science Fiction is a quest to find out what we will become.
Like the old, the new is under attack. Science Fiction tells people that they can build anew upon the old roots. And that they can choose who and what to be. It warns them to choose wisely. Which is why so much these days the emphasis is on the past. Those who build, who reach, might find something strange or dangerous. As strength is derrided, so is the ability to build new strength. Yet we have Honor Harrington. We have Dorsai. We have Luke and Leia challenging Admiral Thrawn. As long as these and their companions exist we have branches that reach for the stars, and we can add more.
Roots of fantasy, branches of Science Fiction, the strong trunk of the present. That trunk is also under assault. The roots nourish it. The Branches challenge it. And there are stories of the real, the now. Worthwhile ones, though they are seldom stories found in books these days. (And there are exceptions even there.)
Stories do not have to be fictitious. Sabaton is not. The tales some folk here tell of their lives and the lives of others are stories as well, wrapped in a presentation that people wish to listen to. And the stories will outlast the teller. Somehow they always seem to.
This power is why stories and the arts were some of the first targets of the culture war. This power is why Indie is so valuable. The stories are there and can be found. Courage is not dead. Strength is not gone. Hope is not lost.
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