There's a quote from The Poetics of Space that sticks with me. Professor Clarke wrote it on the board the… — Dustin Thao
There's a quote from The Poetics of Space that sticks with me. Professor Clarke wrote it on the board the last day of class.
It is better to live in a state of impermanence than in one of finality. -Gaston Bachelard
I've been thinking about this more lately, especially as I look back on my life. As much as we want to, we can't control time or keep it from moving forward. Maybe there's something beautiful about that, living with the uncertainty of what's to come. You never know what possibilities will be born out of it. But some things will always be certain. Like the sun rising in the morning. Or the leaves falling in the autumn and the cherry blossoms returning in the spring. That he and I will always be connected. And who knows? Maybe we'll see each other again in twenty-nine years, when the comet passes once more, sending streaks of light across the sky.
I hope he still remembers me then.
p. 265Source: Wikiquote · CC BY-SA 4.0
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I've made some mistakes in this timeline. But there's one I have to fix before going back.
p. 256
"If the astronomy thing doesn't work out, you would be a great chef," I tell him and take another sip of coffee. "You know what they say... whether a poet looks through a pantry or telescope, he always sees the same thing." "Is that a real quote?" "I might have revised it a little." He smiles. "And what's it supposed to mean, exactly?" "It means you see the possibility in things," I say confidently. "Regardless of what you do. Everything's a universe, if you really think about it. "I like that," he says, nodding. "Maybe you should major in philosophy." "Don't know if I'm smart enough for that." "I think you're smarter than you think you are." I don't say anything back because I'm not used to hearing people say this about me.
p. 199
He leans back, taking me in again. "I don't think I got your name, by the way." I smile. "Oliver. And you?" "I'm Ben." "Ben," I say, mostly to myself. "I've always liked that name."
p. 270
