I’m a big fan of Carl Sagan… of course. His books are simply amazing, and they are all worth your time reading. He had a way with words that made them not just profound, not just inspiring, but also warm and rich and enveloping.
He was a dreamer, an optimist, willing to look beyond the immediate problems we have now and see a better future, if only we could change our ways just a little bit.
I’m not the only person he affected. Zen Pencils, the nom de plume of young artist Gavin Aung Than, has been drawing web comics based on the words of wise people. He sent me a note via Twitter that he had one based on something Sagan said:
Click it to see the whole thing. Sagan’s words are wonderful, of course, but I like the added dimension Than has given them. You should check out the Zen Pencil archives to see what else he did, too, and you can also follow him on Twitter.
Related Posts:
- On the birthday of Carl Sagan
- Carl Sagan on SETI
- We needn’t be afraid of the dark (a VERY powerful video featuring Sagan)
- Pale Blue Dot
- What I learned from Carl Sagan
February 27th, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Sagan’s afterlife…
This post is also available in Danish. Gavin Aung Than adapts quotes to cartoons and he really puts a nice touch to them. Here he has made a cartoon of a beautiful quote from Carl Sagan: I agree completely! (via Bad Astronomy) ……
February 27th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
I think that’s more powerful than any religious message I ever heard.
February 27th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Thank you so much for this Phil – i’m glad you like my site. Sagan was my hero!
February 27th, 2012 at 4:23 pm
Can I steal this description? That is a perfect summation, and why I think skeptics should read his works, even if they already hold a Ph.D. in Baloney Detection.
February 27th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Hadn’t made that connection before, but now that is all I can hear….not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. Oh darn, listened to ZenPencil’s link. That was well done.
February 27th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
“Luckily for him, Mohammad had been looking for a new ping pong partner ever since he axed his teenage daughter to death when she suggested he might have 72 *grapes* waiting for him after death.”
February 27th, 2012 at 11:00 pm
I hadn’t read this comic before (ZEN Pencil that is) thank you for sharing.
February 28th, 2012 at 1:26 am
Wow, thanks for linking to this Phil. The Sagan ‘toon was great, but his Herbert ‘toon sent chills up my spine. I bookmarked his site right under Penny Arcade on my Comics list.
February 28th, 2012 at 3:08 am
The only thing dubious in this quote is the line about there being “little good evidence” for the pretty stories religion tells. I haven’t noticed _any_ personally.
February 28th, 2012 at 6:11 am
Speaking as one who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom:
… I love this comic. It rings true, and it is another reminder that Sagan was seriously ahead of his time.
February 28th, 2012 at 9:35 am
Sagan’s words are wonderful, the cartoon not so much. Sorry, but I can’t really accept the moral equivalence involved here. I don’t think people who fly airliners into buildings (or the people who protected them) are the same as soldiers sent off to prevent such actions from happening again. The whole thing is a bit too “kumbaya” to me.
February 28th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Chris L, methinks that specter of “moral equivalence” you see comes from your own internalized preconceptions, not the cartoon.
February 28th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
I love these cartoons that impel thought.
Then there is this(which is NOT a cartoon);
http://www.themandus.org/
A new proposition that seeks to answer how we became the weird, naked apes we are in such a short time(think; population bottleneck and Neanderthal predation).
,,,and why we can be both compassionate beings and such destructive pricks, at the same time,,,hey, it’s all about adaptation,,,
Gary 7
February 28th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
amphiox,
You are entitled to your opinion on this, but I think the facts back my conclusion here pretty well. Both men are firing at each other. Both men get hit and go to their culture’s version of “heaven”. Both men decide to stop trying to kill each other and live happily ever after. That sounds like equivalence to me. Of course, YMMV.
February 29th, 2012 at 3:00 am
Chris L (11) said:
This needs more detail.
Why are the differences so significant?
February 29th, 2012 at 10:37 am
The former involves killing innocents in the name of some imaginary friend and the later is a form of collective self defense.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
16. Chris L
Actually, “the former” were mere foot soldiers in the service of Bin Laden, who wanted to drive a wedge between the USA and the Saudi Royals. He thought he would make a much better King,,,
Granted, SOME suicide bombers are convinced they’ll go to paradise,,,and some people believe in Santa,,,
Gary 7
February 29th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Gary7,
I see your point. While Bin Laden’s own motives were less than religious, he was more than willing to use belief in the invisible sky dude (and his “superior” knowledge of what said sky dude wants from the faithful) to recruit and control his followers. His was hardly a unique use of the deity concept to be sure, just a very obvious one.
March 2nd, 2012 at 9:27 am
[...] Zen Pencils and words of wisdom (blogs.discovermagazine.com) [...]
March 4th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
I note that the cartoonist has drawn the flying bullets with the cartridges still attached. Well, he hasn’t drawn the cartridges being ejected while the weapons are being fired, so at least it’s consistent!
March 5th, 2012 at 5:58 am
Chris L (16) said:
So in what way is sending your troops to invade a country that hasn’t a hope of mounting a serious assault on your homeland “self-defence”?