#neil gaiman wisdom

[ineffable-baker-street]

there is nothing i love more than considering the fact that aziraphale created the concept of war and violence on earth, because he refused to be an angel. he gave away his flaming sword and just like that the first humans had the first weapon.

in the garden of eden, aziraphale believed himself to be good and righteous and a proper angel, but then he does something decidedly not angelic. he helps a human, purely because those individuals were in danger, and he didn't want them to be hurt. he did not consider the great repercussions of centuries of war and death, because humans don't consider the greater good if an individual life that they care for is at risk. and then suddenly there's a wily serpent next to him, pointing out just how un-angelic he had been, but praising him for it at the same time.

that was the first day that aziraphale learned that if he were to be an angel he would have to make choices that would harm individuals, in order to maintain the moral high ground, and to continue to weave a righteous ineffable plan. because if it had been any other angel stood on that wall, they would not even have considered giving a weapon to a human, the great consequences would be too severe and in their minds the ineffable plan would not approve. but adam and eve would have left the garden and promptly been eaten and the ineffable plan would not have continued as it was destined to. because if it could potentially cause themselves harm, an angel will never do something against the great plan, because we all know what happens if an angel asks too many questions, let alone makes too many mistakes.

a human however, makes situational choices, and tries to do whatever will have the most beneficial outcome. this is aziraphale's first human act, and he will make many more in the years to come. but... only because crawley told him that it was not angelic. crawley laughed and looked delighted with just how "not good" aziraphale had just been, despite reassuring him that an angel cant do the wrong thing. but there's subtext there, and they both know that he's a demon, he lies, and suddenly it becomes clear that if a supposed demon could approve of his choice, but aziraphale, a supposed angel, had also thought he made the right decision, then perhaps everything isn't so black and white after all. because to care for the earth, as a human does, and as crowley and aziraphale do, is to search through the shades of grey until you find just the right one.

and so aziraphale gives away his sword, and thus creates weapons of violence, and eventually millions die to those weapons, but it doesn't matter, because the first humans survived, and aziraphale was not only the creator of war, but also the protector of life.

[rini-descartes]

"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!"

—Henry David Thoreau

[secondjulia]

This week in Hob Gadling is a Jerk:

Anybody remember when he told Jim that the secret to not drowning is just don't drown? THANK YOU, HOB! That is so helpful for those of us who don't have a mysteriously pretty lord and his much smarter big sister as patrons.

[minimalist-quotes]

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

[brunhielda]

As someone who lives out in the mountains, the lilacs are only just now beginning to fade away, and it has set me to thinking.

This site has WRECKED me, and I can only think of lilacs in terms of Sir Terry Pratchett and “The Glorious 25th of May,” even though the lilac generally blooms a week after that around here.

But, as in most things, Sir Pratchett remains a literary genius, and the lilacs aren’t really about the specific date. It’s about the seasons changing and what that brings.

Spring is when the sleeper wakes up. When humans shake off old thoughts of winter and have the energy to make changes, to be incensed, if need be, about things that have been going on for generations. When do protests happen? May into June.

Does weather play a part? Absolutely. It is easiest in Spring and Fall for outside activity and travel. But it is also about what is happening inside your mind and heart with a shifting of the seasons. Connection to the earth and the rest of humanity plays such a big part in making things RIGHT, whether we recognize it or not.

Pratchett recognized the pattern. I don’t know if he recognized it consciously, but the importance he put on those flowers makes me think he did.

I would credit that pattern recognition to his love of old things. History, folklore. Other people I also see as showing wisdom in their work- Neil Gaiman, the Green Brothers, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Douglas Addams, various writers of fantasy and science fiction- they enjoy history. They read folklore and mythology and other ancient tales. They delve into old things that connect humanity.

I guess what I am saying is really obvious, but…

If you enjoy storytellers who suddenly hit you with something that feels like TRUTH, some of that is an intentional care in thier stories, but some of that is thier brain chemistry being changed, as we put it, by some really ancient humanity.

I would suggest if you love Pratchett, love Gaiman, love some of the impactful storytellers, you should consider what made them so good. Consider not just thier works, not just newer wisdom, but ancient wisdom. Connect back to some of the roots of humanity.

Don’t just read Song of Achilles. Read the Illiad too.

[kingdom-of-shamballa]

I am

Allways the radio on

I need music when i am reading

I don't like silence

Reading Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker & Grant Morrison, William Burroughs

I read a lot

I have my own library

I collected a lot of books & comics

My house is my safe place

I am happy & satisfied

I am that i am

[librarianofdreams]

It’s always easier to fix stuff that exists.

Yesterday was a bad writing day. I spent a lot of time staring at a screen. Lots of Tumblr replies. Lots of Twitter (the Netflix Sandman trailer going out didn’t help). Lots of being grumpy at myself and convinced I couldn’t do it any more. The script was a mess. I was doomed. This morning I printed out what I had to fix, picked up a pen, made a few notes and started typing. It was fun and easy and straightforward. I finished it and sent it to the people who needed to see it, and just got an amazed call from our script editor saying she was laughing while crying and couldn’t work out how I’d done everything in a day.

And I hadn’t done it all in a day. All of the being miserable yesterday was necessary for it to fly today. All of the knowing it was insoluble and awful made the work today relatively easy. I had to get out of my own way, and had to read it freshly, without being attached to anything. And then I just did the notes. And to make the thing that worked today, a lot of stuff that didn’t quite work or sort of worked had to be written too. It’s always easier to fix stuff that exists.

Anyway. Yesterday = bad writing day. Today = good writing day. I thought it was worth telling people, in case there was anyone else out there who was having a bad writing day too.

[freck-water]

I just asked Neil Gaiman for a senior quote so we'll see how that goes

[rini-descartes]

"Simplicity is a great virtue, but it requires hardwork to achieve it."

— Jorge Luis Borges

[robynbirdsnest]

be wise, and always be kind

In 2008 Neil Gaiman wrote I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now),…

[valya-dudycz-lupescu]

This rings so true to me. It also reminds me of something Gene Wolfe used to say, about each novel being a new challenge and experience--you can only write the novel you have in front of you. You are not exactly the person you were who wrote the last story or the person you will be who writes the next story. You are the person writing this story.

Sometimes that means knowing that the person you are is not quite ready to tell a particular story, but tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or the next decade...you may be.

That always made me feel better. I just had to find the story I needed to write, right now.

Random writing thought: the best stories are often the ones that only you could have written — but also the ones that you could only write at this one moment.

I couldn't write All the Birds in the Sky from scratch now if I tried. But the me of 2013 couldn't have written The Prodigal Mother either.

[scottishmushroom]

When I find myself in times of trouble, Neil Gaiman comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom… wait and see.

[kingdom-of-shamballa]

I am

Interested in goths

I like their cloathing style

With their music

Reading Anne Rice & Poppy Z. Brite

Reading fantastic Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker

Reading gothic books

Reading horror books

I love vampire stories

I am happy & satisfied

I am that i am

[televised-eyes]

when i find myself in times of trouble

neil gaiman comes to me

speaking words of wisdom

“the invisible and unbreakable [line] that joins crowley and aziraphale”

[thehobbem]

Many years ago, Neil Gaiman went to a famous book fair in my country, in my city. Me and my best friend, being huge fans, stood in line to get our books signed. I had a brand new copy of American Gods, which I'd just bought, and my friend had her very first, very old Gaiman book: a copy of Smoke and Mirrors.

Now, she'd had that paperback for 10 years at that point, and reread it a thousand times. It was a battered copy, with a spine so wrinkled you'd think it had grandchildren.

When it was finally our turn, she gave him the book for him to sign and said, "I'm sorry the book is so worn-out."

Neil Gaiman immediately replied: "I actually prefer it that way. It means my book has been an old friend to you."

Wrinkles, stains, and every other small, general damage says the same about a book as it does about you: it means it, too, has lived a long, fulfilling life.

It means you have a story to tell.

I used to be really against marking up books and would clutch at my pearls anytime a book was damaged in anyway but now I see it as another way to express love. Water stains on the cover means you carried your favorite book through the rain because you wanted to keep reading on the go. Writing in the margins is participating in the conversation with the author. Leaving bookmarks and receipts in between the pages is like freezing traces of your own life in time.

A well worn book is a well loved one.

[bohoteacher]

Navigating Betrayal: Reconciling Admiration with Disillusionment

Like many Neil Gaiman fans this month, I've been shocked and distressed by the news regarding the SA allegations. I won't go over the details, as they're readily available online. I'll start by saying that I believe the accusers, and even the most lenient interpretation of events is still troubling enough to discredit Gaiman. For a long time, I didn't know what to say. I was just shocked and, somewhat naively, felt betrayed. I don't typically idolize actors, authors, or other public figures—I'm here for the characters, they're who I love and believe in. So, how did I end up believing in this man and his rhetoric?

I only had a parasocial relationship with him, which is to say no real relationship at all. But I took his Masterclass on writing, spent hours taking notes, and learned from him. I feel betrayed by someone I saw as a beloved teacher. I know this is insignificant compared to what the women who came forward experienced, but it's a valid feeling, and I needed time to process it. My initial reaction was to throw out and discount everything he’s ever written or done—of course it was.

This isn't just about my love for Good Omens, although how can it not be? I learned so much from this man—about writing, about not being too hard on myself, about the creative process. I read his books to my middle school classes, and we all learned how to be better people from them. Today, I saw and bought Instructions, a children’s book by Neil Gaiman illustrated by Charles Vess, from the used bookstore where I volunteer. It was a used copy, so no royalties will go to him. It’s a beautifully illustrated book where the main character walks through a land that clearly symbolizes life, learning lessons like saying please and "if any creature cries to you that it hurts, if you can, ease its pain." How could someone write this and then do what he did? I asked myself. "What an evil hypocrite," was my first thought. But then I recalled a line from another author, Stephen King. In The Stand, a character is described as "awake at the lectern, but asleep at the switch," meaning they know the right thing to do and can talk about it, but in the moment of choice, they act without integrity.

I don’t know if I’m making sense, but I think it’s too easy to label Gaiman as simply evil, as if he intentionally manipulated us by saying the right things just to make us read or watch his creations. The reality is likely far more complicated. Within this man is the amazing, thought-provoking, life-affirming wisdom that many of us have tried to live by, but also the hard, thoughtless, selfish cruelty that led him to abuse young, vulnerable women. The wisdom does not justify the abuse, and the abuse does not nullify the wisdom.

I think it's too simplistic to say Gaiman is despicable and always has been, hiding it from us all along. This doesn't acknowledge the complexity of human nature—that there is potential for both good and bad within us all. As it’s said, possibly by Terry Pratchett or possibly by Neil Gaiman, “It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

Gaiman is a man who has done some fundamentally good things and some fundamentally bad things. I can’t forget either one.

This is just my opinion. I know some people want to cancel him, while others want to exonerate him. You do you. As for me, I will continue to love Aziraphale and Crowley. I will continue to read and create fan-fiction. I will continue to find comfort and wisdom in books that have meant so much to me over the years. But I will also remember that they were created by a very flawed man whom I can no longer trust.

I understand that opinions on this matter vary widely. I know some people might feel that not discarding everything associated with him is wrong, but this is where I stand. I’m not looking to debate this or be told how I should react. I just needed to process my thoughts in writing and move forward in the way that feels right for me.