Monday, March 24, 2008

Adios, Mr. Clarke.

It was the early 1970's and having been raised on T.V. , Beatles and the American public school system, my friend Dave and I were like so many of our generation....."progressive", "intellectual" and all too ready to abandon Western culture and civilization.
We were Buddhists; or, at least, believed ourselves to be.
We didn't actually practice Buddhism so much as read about it.
I bring this up because the recent passing of Arthur C. Clarke reminded of something from that time in my life. I wasn't a big fan of the genre, but I did like to read a Sci-Fi book occasionally.My friend, Dave, however, loved the stuff. I asked him to recommend his favorite Arthur C. Clarke novel.
Being the Buddhaphile I was, I heard his reply as "Childhood Zen." I was a bit shocked when I finally came across a copy and learned the title was really "Childhood's End."
I've always liked my title better.

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