Pilgrim's Inception

This whole book reminds me of a movie called Inception by Christopher Nolan. The movie is about a corporate spy and thief, Dom Cobb, who extracts essential information from the unconscious mind of people he wishes to harm or threaten while they are asleep. To extract valuable information Cobb uses the strategy of dreams within dreams. Billy, in my opinion, has lost sense of what reality truly is because he travels in time with his memories so often. In the movie, the main character has to carry a totem to be able to distinguish reality from dreams but Billy, in the book, does not carry a totem or anything close to it. This idea may sound absurd to many, but I'm not even aware of what Billy's reality is in the book. He believes that moments don't have a definite time lapse, but could our main character, Billy, actually be stuck in Limbo, a subconscious level in which a person loses his/her grip on reality and is trapped for an indefinite period of time? Which is Billy's reality? Is it the war?

Existentialism and the Tralfamadorians

When Billy was abducted by the Tralfamadorians he asked a why he was abducted. These extraterrestrials responded with a series of questions that actually pertain to existentialism, a type of philosophy. This connection may be seen because existentialism questions human existence. The uncertainty expressed in existentialism was also felt by Billy when he tried to find the reason behind why he was abducted. Apart from this, Billy's view of life was altered completely by the Tralfamadorians, which is what, in this period, existentialism accomplished. The extraterrestrials basically stated that all thoughts that question events that arise or existence are "human." This is because most of us, question absolutely everything and have trouble accepting the idea that there doesn't have to be a beginning, an end, or a reason behind everything. I don't necessarily believe in the existence of aliens but I do think that what Billy felt when he was abducted is what many of us feel when we are passing through moments of disgrace. When an obstacle arises I sometimes feel lost and unfortunate. I find myself saying, "Of all people, why did this have to happen to me?" Being abducted by the tralfamadorians could have been a positive experience for Billy because, as I stated before, his perspective of life changed. This can compare to what we feel after we have surpassed obstacles because we can learn from our mistakes and become stronger. 

The Power to Change

In Billy's office there was a prayer posted on Billy's wall that many of us could relate to, including myself.
This is:

"GOD GRANT ME 

THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT 

THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,

COURAGE

TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, 

AND WISDOM ALWAYS 

TO TELL THE 

DIFFERENCE."  

I found this prayer extremely meaningful because in the present of the book, or at least what the reader perceives as the present, Billy is in a German campground with Weary and has fallen asleep in his shoulder. Billy goes back in time and remembers this poem, which is gives hope to both him and his patients. In my opinion, Billy is unconsciously giving himself hope by travelling back in time to this moment to read over the prayer. The prayer extremely inspiring for me because there are definitely things in life that we all wish to change but unfortunately can't. To accept these things we need to face the truth, which takes courage because the truth is often difficult to accept. However, we can't always tell the difference between the things in life that we have the ability to change and can't. Billy can't change the fact that he's in a war just as I can't change the fact that as life progresses people get older and become susceptible to certain sicknesses. There are certain diseases in life that are not curable and if our loved ones are affected by them we must accept this with a lot of courage because it definitely hurts. However, I wonder, how can we be wise by concluding that something cannot be changed without losing all hope?  Is it wise to lose all hope? 

Why War?

This book definitely horrifies the reader as it describes the crude scenes that belonged to these wars. At the beginning of the chapter two men who once belonged to the three musketeers were brutally shot. The author does not describe this scene. Yet, the scene gives us an idea of how many people were killed during the wars. Throughout the book the author has used the term "So it goes" especially after he mentions the death of soldiers or innocent people, which adds a careless and casual tone to the piece. By using this term after a death is described, Kurt Vonnegut demonstrates that shootings and brutal deaths were extremely common, which of course makes sense because the book takes place in the middle of a war. However, it's still astonishing to me that the death of a father, brother, and just a family member in general could be of such little importance. I cannot imagine what family's must've suffered during this period with the deaths of their loved ones. After learning about war and the terrible experiences of others one would think people would change but there are still many people who believe that violence is only solved with more violence. Do people believe that violence makes them seem stronger or braver? Or is this because humans are naturally wicked and intolerant?

Trip Into The Past

I am not going to talk about the entire chapter in this blog entry. Instead, I would like to point out an idea that was expressed in the first pages of this chapter. Billy, our protagonist, states that he was kidnapped by aliens that come from "Tralfamadorian." He states that these Tralfamadorians believe that moments are never over, meaning that they continue eternally. When a person from this different place views a dead person they believe that the dead person is in a terrible state at that moment but don't consider that their life has ended. This was an extraordinary thought and left me in awe. Many of us, including myself, fear death and ageing. If we thought this way our whole conception of death and time would alter. Just think about it, wouldn't it be pleasant to relive moments of joy? To go back in time and truly embrace these moments?

If you really think about it, sure we can't travel back in time and experience things again, but the memories of those special moments do last forever. In our mind, we can relive joyous experiences or even bitter ones.

Just Children At War

The first chapter of Slaughterhouse Five is extremely interesting. The author, Kurt Vonnegut, expresses throughout the chapter that he has worked hard to write a book about the horrors that occurred in Dresden in 1945. In one point of the chapter the author is engaged in a conversation in which a man points out to him that writing an antiwar book is similar to writing an anti-glacier book. This is because war, according to this man, is inevitable and so is death. I find the part concerning death of this statement true. However, I do believe that there are certain ways to avoid war such as negotiating a peace treaty. Most wars nowadays occur because of a lack of toleration, whether it's religious or political. I believe we as people must learn to tolerate all the different ideas and embrace diversity. 

When the protagonist of the book went to visit a former friend and veteran of the war, Bernard V. O'Hare, his wife, Mary O'Hare, was extremely hostile to him. This was because she opposed war books because according to her, they made the men in the books seem heroes when they were actually children. She says this because she is clearly against war but I personally disagree with her. I do not support wars but I don't believe that the men who fight in them are immature. Even though there are different ways to solve problems, soldiers are extremely courageous and fight for their beliefs and their country. Therefore, I believe it is extremely unfair to compare them to immature children. 

The Perfect Life by John Koethe

This was an excellent poem and may be interpreted in many different ways. In my opinion, the main message portrayed by John Koethe is that when we die all our success and riches are left behind. I say this because throughout the poem, John Koethe mentions the perfection of his life. He apparently then observes his life and success from a different point of view, which I interpreted as being death. We may observe this in the last stanza: "Feelings of contentment, but the human dies, and what I take for granted bears a name to be forgotten soon, as the things I know turn into unfamiliar faces in a strange room, leaving merely a blank space, which closes over."

In life, we strive to achieve perfection and fight to reach success, causing us to not fully enjoy every moment. Some of us have lost the true meaning of life and are full of ambition. Ambition causes us to sometimes lose touch of loved ones, not appreciate what we have, and become impatient. A great amount of people have as a priority gaining money, which impedes them from feeling true happiness. They work only to gain a salary and are never fulfilled with what they accomplish.

The poem reminded me of a quote stated by Buddha: "Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals." In this quote, we can observe that ambition brings impatience along with it. Sometimes people never accept that there are always people that are going to be better than us or prettier or even stronger. They therefore treat everyone they consider better or equal to them as their rivals and struggle to beat them. This kind of person is never tranquil and is always watching what his/her peers or colleagues are achieving.

In conclusion, this is a fantastic poem and it reminds us that life is not about reaching perfection but should rather be enjoyed and valued.