PRESCIENT

When I was in high school I discovered a writer who caused me to think of the world in a much different way than I had considered.  I was a fan of science fiction and had read lots of Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein and some of the other popular writers.

One day the librarian in my school suggested this new guy might be interesting so I took home “Slaughterhouse Five” and gave it a whirl.  It was strange but very imaginative and really stuck with me.  The author had a weird name – Kurt Vonnegut – but his style and tempo were fun so I tried a few more of his works.

The other day I was visiting a blog I like and the writer mentioned a story by Vonnegut that I didn't recall so I checked it out.  It’s called Harrison Bergeron and is only a couple of pages long.

But it is almost prophetic in the message (I say almost because despite his flair for writing, Kurt Vonnegut is very far from a prophet in any way) about the future of the United States.  I’m sure Vonnegut meant this as satire (his mainstay in writing) and he has decidedly different political leanings than I do so I won’t project much in that vein.  But still, the message is obvious and very telling.

Take a few minutes and give Harrison a look.  The poor guy could use some customers after all he’s been through.