Impactful Reads: Bible, Sagan, and More

I know a lot of people will list one single book as the one that had the most impact on them, and that will be The Bible.

And so, it’s Number One in my list of impactful books. I know, a lot of people think it has zip to do with our world today. That it happened to a bunch of people who chased sheep and so on. That it just doesn’t relate to our world.

My answer to that is “Bull!” It applies just as much today as yesterday. Our world has changed since the Bible was written, but we haven’t. We’re still the same pathetic species we’ve always been and subject to the same hates, hurts, failures and so on.

To me, the Bible is one way I meet with God. It’s one way for me to hear what God the father has to say. It’s also a mirror I get to see myself in. And it’s a never-ending journey. I’ve read the Bible Genesis to Revelations dozens of times. And every time I do, I always find something new.

In the Number Two slot is Intelligent Life in the Universe by Carl (the Sage) Sagan and I.S. Shklovskii. I first discovered this book in the Adams State College Library when I was considering the school on a visit in the 12th Grade. Truth be told, I think it had a lot to do with my choosing that school. It shattered my view of the universe and then put it back together into a form I’d never expected. Many of the themes and ideas in the book were eventually echoed in books like Cosmos and the Cosmic Connection. But this book inspired the wonder and beauty I see in the Universe to this day.

The last book in the list shouldn’t surprise you. It was the novelization of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of course, it blew my mind and I’ve gone through four or five copies since I first read it.

But it did one thing for me. It woke up in me a passion to write my own stories. While Police Procedural Mysteries might be light years away from Science-Fiction, it still caused a writer to bloom. And I have dabbled in Science Fiction, You might even read it one day. Check out that story here.

Considering how impactful these three books have been to me, It’s prompted me to ask one question. And all things considered, possibly provides an answer as well.

The question: If there’s so much life in the universe, and maybe intelligence out there, why hasn’t anyone contact us?

The Answer: I think I’ll let Sheriff Will Diaz answer that one.

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