Ray Bradbury was born on this day in 1920.
One of my literary heroes, and a serious influence on my young life.
I’m not exactly sure why, but I love that the Wikipedia article on him claims he was a descendant along with Ralph Waldo Emerson of Mary Bradbury, who was tried and convicted as a witch, but who through means historians dispute, somehow escaped hanging.
An obit recorded two quotes his views on God and love. According to the obit he told a Times reporter in 2010 “My religion encompasses all religions. I believe in God, I believe in the universe. I believe you are god, I believe I am god; I believe the earth is god and the universe is god. We’re all god.” In the same year he was quoted as saying on CNN “At the center of religion is love…. I love you and I forgive you. I am like you and you are like me. I love all people. I love the world. I love creating…. Everything in our life should be based on love.”
John Blake of CNN, and possibly the source for that quote on love, says Bradbury spoke of his approach to life, as Zen Buddhist. “I don’t think about what I do. I do it. That’s Buddhism. I jump off the cliff and build my wings on the way down.”
This has led a number of us who would like it to be so, to say he was a Buddhist.
There are similar Unitarian Universalist assertions based on things he said, and perhaps, on occasional attendance at UU churches.
So many of us owe him so much, we all want to claim him.
Seems right to me.
But in fact he described himself most accurately as a “delicatessen religionist.” As Mr Blake quotes him from his magisterial Fahrenheit 451, “Live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It is more fantastic than any dream made up or paid for in factories.”
Pretty good religion, I think.
Again, thanks, Ray! For everything…
The last time I mentioned Ray Bradbury in this blog, I alluded to a video I can’t actually use here as I try to remain “G” or at least “PG” rating, but for those who are wondering…
For the rest of us, perhaps this…
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