"My God! It's Full of Stars!"

Arthur C. Clarke - 1917 - 2008

My god, the loss.

2001: A Space Odyssey and his short story, The Sentinel, was a huge influence on my life while I was growing up. Both the movie and his stories raised my expectations to new levels on not only science fiction, but also independent thought.

I credit my mother, most of all, for giving me the power of independent thought. I just read a blurb on cnn.com about Clarke's passing. I quote Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer. "He was an inspiring guide, because he was always asking, demanding, beseeching (in his mater-of-fact British way) you to THINK."

That's exactly it. I couldn't have put it better myself. Of all the things that the 6.6 billion people on this little boat called Earth needs to do, is THINK. People allow themselves to become zombies to the crap that's on television, magazines and the Internet. Who cares about global warming - what's Paris Hilton up to today? Do I need the latest iPhone? Yes, I do, because they told me so.

Our brains are our biggest asset. It has taken us a millennia to learn what we know of it today, and it will take another millennia to further understand it. (Can you tell I've been enjoying the Discover Channel's latest Human Body series?) That 6 lb. bundle of jelly in your skull is the most powerful weapon in the universe. Quite literally!

YOU need to program your brain. Don't let the government, "The Man" or "Big Brother" do it for you. Because that's what happens if you don't use it. The government has to step in by taking away your kids or sending you to jail, because you're not using your brain. Solutions to wars, starvation and healthcare can be achieved if we all use our brains. What is more powerful that what's between your ears? An entire gaggle of brains put together for a single purpose!

Remember the story of people being persecuted for believing the Earth was flat and that the sun and universe revolved around us? We used our brains to bring light to our unanswered questions, where previously, we had used god as an answer. One of my band directors in high school had an impact on me as well in many ways. But one of his sayings that he used to use all the time was, "Mediocrity is Everywhere". And boy, is he ever right.

No, I don't have all the answers. No body does. And especially beware any entity, religious or otherwise, that claims to have all the answers. No one ever has and no one ever will.

Uhg, I'm digressing. Back to Clarke, 2001, the Infinite and Beyond.

2001 is the most thought provoking film ever made. It also gives the viewer a front row seat to witness the progression of the human race beyond our form and our mother planet. For me, seeing 2001 was truly inspirational, almost spiritual. It's our ultimate goal to progress beyond our planet and beyond the physical and spiritual shackles we posses today. Even though I didn't completely understand the ending of 2001 on my first viewing, I really felt as if I had witnessed the next coming of the human race. And that's really what is at the core of the screenplay. Our lives are but a sliver in time, so none of us can expect to see our leaving today's human form and Earth for the long term. Rather, we channel these dreams into our children and we enjoy watching them grow, and put our hopes and dreams into them, with the hope that our dreams may sometime be a reality long after we are gone.

Clarke was the epitome of looking outside the box, because we can live inside the box for only a finite amount of time. His visions were far beyond the scope of our time and always will be. If only everybody looked to the infinite and beyond with the same awe as he did. Of all the entertainers, world leaders and scientists that have passed during my brief 39 year stay on this Earth so far, Clarke's passing probably saddens and makes me reflect the most about myself, my surroundings and the people on this planet. The universe, our planet, your body, and the countless atoms we can not see are truly wondrous.