The Overlooked Lesson of The Parable of the Sower

“Over time, I came to understand it differently. Butler is saying: people need a transcendent goal, a way of tapping into the awe and wonder of the universe. The impossibility of travel to the stars in the Parable is neither here nor there. The power of Earthseed is that it demonstrates that anyone in any circumstances can hold an audacious and global dream for humanity in their heart. The existence of a nearly impossible vision inside Lauren Olamina is, itself, a form for power; it says, you cannot kill off the spirit through brute force and immiseration.”

There's been a lot of talk about Octavia Butler and Parable of the Sower lately, for good reason, and this piece really resonated with me. One of the things I've been thinking about a lot since the US election is that neither candidate gave me a vision for the future, it was about not going back or going back, but I didn't get a clear sense of the future and what that would look like. It feels like a huge missed opportunity.