Science Fiction came to be for many reasons.
Some say it sprang from fantastical attempts by early storytellers to imagine a world transformed by Technology … or Social Revolution. Some argue that it only became possible between the 17th and 19th centuries, spawned by a wave of Scientific Discovery.
But its origins are far more basic than that.
It came from our need to DREAM.
SCI-FI can Challenge and Inspire us to reach for New Heights … Right Wrongs of the past … Warn us about the dangers of Blind Pursuit … and sometimes, even show us the Way to create a Better World.
It can Empower the powerless, make “the impossible” Reality, and open our eyes to Truth that we might have never seen otherwise.
How?
By doing something truly Great — making us answer the big “what ifs?” What if we could journey to the stars? Or travel through time? Or create an artificial person? Or a million more that we haven’t yet thought of. And all of the answers that we might imagine will no doubt lead to more questions — all offering the promise of Enlightenment.
For fans of SCI-FI, creative Storytellers like Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Octavia Butler have shaped who we are, what we want to be, and what we believe to be possible.
Almost every engineer, inventor, or programmer has a story about when Science Fiction showed them something fantastical and they thought “How do we make it real?” And that is the GIFT of Storytelling — it shows us what is possible but also what awaits us … if we can just be more open to exploring the frontier.
Butler, when asked why she began writing Science Fiction, once said, “There are no closed doors, no walls.” A black woman from Southern California who withstood many humiliating low-wage jobs while discovering her writing identity, she found that reading and writing Science Fiction helped her to confront Racism and Sexism — by allowing her to envision new worlds on paper.
Why does SCI-FI Matter?
Not simply because it’s fun or thought-provoking or visionary — predicting endless possibilities (depending on the choices we make) — or even because it allows us to Dream … but because it is about the FUTURE.
A Future where CHANGE is Possible.
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