Mark Serene Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Blew my mind how close to my own father this was, and of course, myself. I asked my girlfriend, already knowing what the answer would be, "Am I both irresistible and exhaustive at the same time?" Yes. I go days completely focused on a goal (no coffee, sticking to nutrition plan, journaling) and will usually get bored. Envy rules my parents. The way I saw it was just the way Stefan says it in TGOA, the value we have as humans is based on the desire other people have to be us. This is such a creepy idea to me now, but was completely normal to me growing up. I believe I resorted to drugs and other self-destructive behavior because I believed both that my parents were total hypocrites in some way, but also that I have good parents because they provide "things" which other kids wished they had (vacations, family dinners, toys) and other adults envied them Only being charitable to the homeless, or in my parents' case, third-world villagers. Fascinating, chilling, heart-pounding read. 2
MysterionMuffles Posted January 10, 2015 Posted January 10, 2015 Yeah it's an interesting world out there. My parents also provided me things some kids couldn't dream of having, and then there were things other kids had that I wish I had and it all goes in this circle of envy. But aside from all the toys, vacations, and family dinners, what I think all kids want the most is simple acknowledgement of the individuals that they are. What did you think of the rest of the novel and how the kids were treated by their parents? Because I do remember Sarah (was that her name? been a while) coming from a wealthy family and having a lot of financial advantages, but was horded off to various nannies as a child. Blah...I need to read this again sometime.
Mark Serene Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 I haven't finished it yet, but I think you're right about envy being the sword families live and die by. All three of the kids (Stephen, Alice, and Sarah) all come from well-off families and are never seen for who they are. In my opinion, the really disturbing parts are the family dinners when the kids are trying to ask their parents questions, but are given non-answers or completely ignored and bossed around. What did you think about this novel when you read it? I am fascinated by this novel for the subtleties of the parents' abuse toward the children and the Voices that speak the truth to each character. Have you read any of his other novels? Or any novels similar to TGOA?
MysterionMuffles Posted January 16, 2015 Posted January 16, 2015 There's nothing new I think I can add, you're right about the subtle forms of abusive. It wasn't explicit yelling or threatening, so it was well done in that regard showing the abuse shows up in different ways than usual. I think I enjoyed the first 2/3 of it and then felt like it took a while to wrap up, but the endings for each plot was logical and perfect for each character. I'm gonna have to re-read it again, I just remember finding problems with Terry's plotline because his introduction had much to do with his uncles giving him a bad view on women so I thought later in the book he would gain a love interest he would use his uncle's bad advice to win over. Now that I think about it, maybe his uncle's bad advice about women is WHY he avoided them entirely so I don't know. Then I also got kind of bored when it took a few pages to describe the computer program in almost completely technical terms, so it might just be those two things that slowed it down for me and made me want to push past and rush to the end. Overall I enjoyed it. My favourite sections, again, were the ones involving the children because they were so bold and honest compared to all the adults who were all up in their heads about their lively concerns. OOOOh I think I really loved Gordon's plotline and how it interlinked with Alder and Stephen. His character arc was an interesting growth to experience much thanks to the BabbleFish being his friend. Lol speaking of the Babblefish, his chapters reminded me of a younger Stefan Molyneux starting a web show making some awesome social commentary in the early years of the internet. Talk about fiction characters representing the author's mecosystem! I have read similar books, I usually stick to contemporary young adult novels where it's centered around teenagers' lives in the modern world. They're the most relatable since everyone has been a teenager in their lives. I do notice that in a lot of these books, there are some parents actually taking ownership for whatever harm they had inflicted on their children, they make restitution, and develop deeper bonds with their children. I wonder how much that speaks to the author's inherent desire to have the same with their parents if they haven't received such treatment, or if they are inspired to make parents take responsibility in these books BECAUSE they've experienced it in real life. Much could be said about other coming of age stories but anyway... I feel like I'm rambling so I'll leave my post at that for now lol
Mark Serene Posted January 23, 2015 Author Posted January 23, 2015 I appreciate the ramble haha I felt the same way when it came to the technical software development stuff. For me, endings are really a big point of how I feel about the book as a whole. Maybe its the only part I remember lol, but I finished that book, and the last scene where Gordon is teaching put a fire in my belly to spread philosophy. Oh and the speech Bez gave Alder about what happens to your soul when you do wrong and how lying about it will further destroy you, well he put it in much more elegant terms, but that part practically scared the shit out of me. I have done wrong in the past and have done what I could to make up for it, but damn, regret is a loud whisper of death in my ear. All-in-all, to sum up, in conclusion... I found there was very little in the book which I could not relate to on some level, which made it an enlightening experience and gave me a lot to focus on in self-work. p.s. I enjoyed your blog, RJ, about the free-fall journal, and I look forward to reading more when I have time
In the belly of the beast Posted January 28, 2015 Posted January 28, 2015 This sounds like a fascinating novel, but plugging in the title into Amazon and Google yielded nothing for me. Would you be so kind as to let me know where you found it?
Mark Serene Posted January 28, 2015 Author Posted January 28, 2015 Sure, I bought my paperback off Lulu I think, but the audiobook is free to download on fdr: https://freedomainradio.com/free/. To download the audio just right click the page and hit save. Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-God-Atheists-Stefan-Molyneux/dp/B003TVGH54 lulu: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/stefan-molyneux/the-god-of-atheists-softcover/paperback/product-1775028.html 1
In the belly of the beast Posted February 2, 2015 Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks for the links. I didn't realize you were speaking about The God of Atheists. I'll check it out.
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