Pursue the Impossible

I recently saw a tee-shirt with the organization name on the front and an organizational goal printed on the back. The goal was, “Pursue what’s possible”. On first reading I thought this was a good goal for any organization. But as I reflected on it, the more uncomfortable I became with the goal. Why? Because by pursuing only “what’s possible” today we are accepting that the status quo cannot be improved.

Jules Verne’s writing is often associated with science-fiction, but some sources say that it was based on carefully researched material which existed at the time. If we accept this, then a trip around the world in eighty days was not possible at the time. Similarly, travel from the earth to the moon was not considered. Verne’s works were considered fictional in nature. Comparatively, Hanna-Barbera’s cartoon series “The Jetsons” which aired in the early 1960’ s seemed to be purely fictional and written for entertainment with little relation to things that were available in that era.

So, looking at these two different views of the world, approximately one hundred years apart, if we accepted “pursue what’s possible”, we would not consider either worth pursuit because they presented the impossible, not the possible.

Yet when we look around us today, we see many of the concepts presented as not just possible but common in day-to-day life. We have had airplanes that could travel around the world at the Equator in about eleven hours. We have robots that can clean our homes with minimal human intervention. We have not only travelled to the moon and back safely but are now considering travel to Mars. We have all of this because some have pursued the impossible and not limited themselves to pursuing only what’s possible.

We could apply the same to many other advances we have had over time, not just recently but since Verne’s time and even earlier. If Henry Ford had accepted that making an automobile available to the masses was impossible, would we still be travelling by horse and buggy? Or, if communicating via wire or wirelessly had been accepted as impossible, how would our lives today be without our cell phones? Even something as seemingly simple as cooling food without the physical presence of ice would make today’s food choices impossible.

So, as I look at that shirt today with its simple goal statement, I wonder who would consider it a worth goal. Are they saying that today’s world is acceptable and there is no room for improvement? Or are they saying that pursuing the impossible is of little value?

While my views may not be shared by others, I think the organization which shared this goal is lucky. Those who wrote or approved the goal are no longer there. Perhaps the new leaders view the world and valuable pursuits differently. And perhaps the organization is now trying to make things better, not just accept things as they are.

Novels by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Book Reviews), March 4, 2025

I had a bit of a challenge naming this post. It is a bit of a review of two novels by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, “Before the coffee gets cold” and “Before we forget kindness”. These novels are part of a five (at last count) book set originally written and published in Japan then translated for reading in the United States. I have a bit of concern about calling them novels because, at least in my mind, each book is a small set of short stories. In either case, I found them enjoyable and look forward to reading the other three books in the set in the future.

Rather than review them in detail and spoil the ending for other readers, I instead decided to pose a question to others. A question that is core to the reading of these books. Would you, if given the chance, return to a time or place in the past?

Of course, there are certain rules that you must follow.

  • While you are in the past, you can do nothing that would change the present. In other words, you cannot change events. Everything that happened then and since then will still occur.
  • You can only depart from a specific place and return to that same place within the time limits described below.
  • You will be given a hot cup of coffee before your departure to the past and you must return to the present before the coffee gets cold. If not, you will be cursed from there forward.

There may be other rules, but they will be explained to you before you travel to the past.

If you say you will return to the past your place of departure will be a specific chair in a small coffee shop, or perhaps a tearoom, off the main streets in a city in Japan. You must be sitting in a specific chair and return to the same chair.

It sounds so simple but there is a problem. The chair you must use is constantly occupied by a cursed woman all day, every day. The only time it is empty is when she must get up to use the restroom. So, there is limited opportunity for your travel and others may also be waiting to depart.

If you can be seated in the chair while it is vacant, you will be given a hot cup of coffee. This is the measure of the length of your visit. Remember, you must return before the coffee gets cold.

And then, the travel can begin.

Each of the short stories in the books is centered around someone who has chosen to travel back in time and the results of this travel. If you have the opportunity, they are short reads which you will enjoy.

Sometimes I’d Like to Write a Book or Maybe Just a Short Story

Several years ago, although it seems like only yesterday, I was travelling along the interstate and saw something that I believed could be the basis for an interesting story or even a new book. In the middle of nowhere there was a small cluster of adobe buildings. Buildings that looked uninhabited. Buildings with no access from the interstate and no other roads leading to them. Adobe walls that looked in good condition but no glass apparent in the windows. Perhaps it was a ghost town or maybe the buildings were used by a ranch. Still, they seemed to just sit there, awaiting erosion or destruction by the hands of man. Even then, it was not the past, present, or future that provided an inspiration. It was simply the small cluster of buildings sitting in the hot sun.

Since that time, I have often thought of how these buildings, or similar buildings elsewhere, could provide the foundation for a book. But for some reason, I don’t know if I could write something, even a short story or a blog post that would do justice to them. I have had some ideas but when trying to move forward with them it always seems like the process becomes so difficult that I give up.

I still believe a story is there. Is it simply bringing an idea to a successful conclusion that is so difficult? Does one start with the buildings or simply incorporate them into a story as it develops? Or is there another approach that eludes me today? I have no answers but will continue to attempt to find a solution. And maybe I will at sometime find the book or short story that is worthy of sharing with others.

Science-Fiction or Science or Fiction?

A few days ago, I read a short observation about where the future might lead us or how the world might be a few decades or even a few years from now. Unfortunately, I failed to make note of who had written the observation or even where I had read it. But thinking about the writing as I was lying in bed early this morning I thought about how science-fiction or even science itself has changed the world around us.

One of the first things I remember that could be classified as science-fiction was the mythological tale of Icarus. I tried to find a specific date when this was written but was unsuccessful. It was written by Ovid, along with several others, and focused on an escape attempt by Icarus and his father using wings made from metal, feathers, and beeswax to fly away from imprisonment. If one gives this some thought, this was science-fiction of its time. Flying, by man, was not even a dream. Yet Icarus’ father was able to conceive the construction and use of wings which would allow them to fly. Sadly, according to the myth, Icarus flew to close to the sun, the beeswax melted, and he fell to his death in the oceans below.

A person must wonder, could the people in Ovid’s lifetime conceive, or even dream, of our large airplanes today that can easily fly us around the world? Or could they possibly things like space travel? Yet in some form this myth was recorded and passed to later generations and is even known to some people today. So, while the tale of Icarus has passed through generations it is still a part of our lives today. So, were the writings of this myth only fiction or were they science-fiction, simply not defined as such?

Science-Fiction probably became a more well-defined genre in the latter half of the 1800’s with the writings of Jules Verne. Verne seems to have included technology (a term used loosely), or science, that existed in his day but expanded on how it was used. For example, this work “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” suggested the use of submersible craft to travel some 40,000 miles or more beneath the ocean. While submersibles existed, they could not travel to that depth, even had such a depth existed. Yet Vernes conceived this as a possibility and while we can search the oceans to great depths today, not anywhere near the depths Verne described. But Verne was able to imagine what might exist there.

Verne also wrote “Around the World in Eighty Days”, a time that, at least in the 1870’s seemed almost unbelievable. One must wonder, what would Verne think of today’s air travel where a trip around the world takes hours rather than many days. Again, the technology that Verne imagined existed. But it has advanced far beyond what he wrote as a novel, not as a prediction of the future. So, how was Verne able to reach out and predict these things that might exist in future times?

While science-fiction, as a genre, continued to grow over the years since Verne, one must also look at the world around us and ask how science has grown. We should mostly ask ourselves are today’s researchers and scientists science-fiction writers or dreamers. Should they have chosen to record their works in novels, would these works have been considered science-fiction? Or were they only science?

An example might be the works of Henry Ford. Ford did not invent the automobile. Instead, he made the automobile affordable. Had Americans who travelled westward on the Santa Fe Trail or the Oregon Trail known of the automobile would they have made those long treks via animal-powered wagons? Would we have the rutted trails that offer historic value today? Or would they have laughed at Ford?

 In other fields one can see both individuals who by imagining possibilities. They looked at problems and tried to find solutions. When they began, there seemed to be no solutions, yet they were willing to stretch the existing limits to create things that were better. People like Pasteur and Salk in the world of medicine who often were chided or punished for their works. People in other fields where advancements were made, or new solutions were found. Many who were successful and many who failed yet challenged others to try.

The differences between these individuals and people like Verne is not in what they imagined or accomplished but in how this was shared with others.

Now, perhaps in a less serious mode, let us move into things into the 1960’s, when I was a child. Many of my generation remember the cartoon series “The Jetsons”. The cartoons were, supposedly, set in the year 2062. This means that we have about thirty-seven more years to see if these cartoons were true or if they were only the imagination of the writers. But we can already see some things become real. For example, the Jetson home was cleaned by Rosie the Robot. While today’s robots take different forms, we can now have our carpets cleaned by robotic devices. Similarly, The Jetsons also had smart watches, video phones, and video chat; all things that are commonplace today. So while Hanna-Barbera were making a cartoon to keep children entertained, were they actually writing science-fiction?

I grew up in the “space age”. We, along with the Soviets, sent man and animal into space. Our exploration allowed us to ultimately development of a craft allowing scientists and others to live for extended time away from earth. They have allowed us to explore other planets and environments. But when we were children each trip to space created tons of junk. Old rockets and other craft that either burned up in the atmosphere, was left in space, or crashed into the oceans. It seems such a waste.

So, what have we done? Today, we have ways to bring much of this junk back to earth, land and capture it safely, and reuse it in the future. Are today’s solutions perfect? Probably not, but they are a step forward and can be improved as we move forward.

When I was in my teens and early twenties I worked on farms, drove tractors and combines, and help farmers tend their crops. When I look at farm equipment of today, I am amazed. Things that we learned to do in the past are now done by automated tools. The farm worker is still there, but for how long?

We have cars and trucks that drive themselves so all we need to do is tell them where to go. Again, something that is yet to be perfected. But something that would have been science-fiction just a few years ago is now emerging reality. Electric vehicles, not the first if one remembers trolleys and electric trains, that also have limitations but may ultimately reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  All these things started as ideas which could have been discarded as science-fiction but have instead began moving into the world of science.

Who can predict what the future holds? Will it be the scientist, the science-fiction writer, or someone else? And will the future leave us older folks behind or will it be something that makes or lives better? I have no answers, just questions and hope.

Skipping Christmas

As I was scrolling through posts on Facebook a few minutes ago I saw a post from author, John Grisham. It was about a book he had originally published in 2010 titled “Skipping Christmas”. I suspect I read the book at that time since I was an early fan of Grisham’s work although I no longer have a copy. The book was not politically focused nor was it even published in the year of a presidential election. Instead, it was about a family that decided to skip Christmas and take a cruise instead. They found that skipping Christmas was much easier said than done.

Unfortunately, since 2010 things have changed greatly in our country. I wish I could say this was for the better but I’m do not think this is true. I find it unbelievable that here we are, almost two months after the election and celebrities and so-called media experts continue to pound us with how the country is doomed and the majority of American’s are stupid (along with multiple other insults) because of the person who was elected.

Even today, I read an opinion article on the front page of USA Today’s online edition where the writer stated he still believed in Santa Claus. While the title seemed positive, even there he could not put aside political opinions although he claimed he was doing so. I, too, believe in Santa Claus or at least the spirit of Christmas, whether Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, or any of the others recognized at this time of year.

A few weeks ago I asked on line if for the holiday season we could put our differences aside and try to unite as a country. I guess that is too much to ask of the self-appointed experts with access to the media. But one can always hope. So instead, I ask again that instead of skipping or cancelling Christmas can we put aside our differences and try to act like the “United States” for just one day – tomorrow, Christmas Day.

And to do my part, I want to wish everyone, even those celebrities and media experts, a very Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) and a Happy New Year.

Hopes and Fears for Christmas Yet to Come

As I lay in bed this morning, wide awake far to early, I was visited not be the ghost of Jacob Marley nor of one of Dickens’ spirits but instead by one of our cats. Usually, he lies beside me in the bed, my wife says from love while I say to keep warm. In this case, I was snuggled next to my wife and he decided to lay on top of me and stare at the two of us. Could he be jealous or can cats even have such human feelings. After a short time, he left to do other more important things like using his litter box, having a drink, and making sure his food bowl was empty. One wonders what goes on in the mind of a small, furry creature like this and why they can become such an important part of our lives.

As you my have noticed, I again borrowed a part of the name of a Dickens’ spirit again today. I thought this appropriate since Dickens inspired both this and the previous two posts. When I think about Christmas, I feel the need to look at it not just from the way it is today, or even when I was a child or when Dickens published “A Christmas Carol” just over two hundred years ago, but also what Christmas in the future. The present and the past seem easy to consider but the days yet to come present a much greater challenge. There are hopes for things good and fears of things that may be bad. While I may be here for part of the future, it goes far beyond that time and many changes can and will occur.

When we think about the meaning of Christmas, we must recognize that it is a religious holiday. While it serves the Christian faith, does not have the same meaning to others who also have religious or cultural observances like Hannukah and Kwanza. Yet even these others, even those who profess no faith, often celebrate Christmas with us.

Family – As families and friends, Christmas has served draw us together and make us closer. A time of celebration and a time to put differences aside. Yet today, there are those – editors, opinion columnists, broadcast media, celebrities, and others – who would like to use Christmas as a time to drive wedges between us. They do this not for the benefit of anyone other than themselves; to create an elite class which uses others only to serve them and comply with the views and beliefs. If we allow these “elite” to succeed, then the need for the familial unit will disappear. As suggested by some of these “elites” we should cancel holidays because they allow or even encourage sharing amongst those with differing views. This is a great fear for me.

At the same time, I have great hope for Christmas Yet to Come. Why do I say this? It is very simple. If one looks at history, something seemingly unimportant today, efforts to drive wedges between people, friends and families, have occurred many times in the past. Often these efforts have led to battles and wars. No one should say that war is good, but at the end of war, or even the end of arguments, we humans seem to be able to put aside our differences and the world moves forward. This can even be seen in the lives of the very young where schoolyard arguments seem so important but are often forgotten within a few minutes. So, hope should exist. Those who attempt to drive wedges, as an “elite” or with their support, should be shunned and pushed aside. Let us have hope for the days yet to come.

Santa and His Helpers – Santa and his helpers are, perhaps, a fantasy. They exist in the world of children. Children who should not, at an early age, need to be faced with all the challenges of adults. While Santa’s origins may be clouded in mystery but there seems to be at least two common threads. First, is the celebration of Saint Nicholas. This is a day celebrated more in Europe than elsewhere which honors the work of St. Nicholas. If one reads more about this day, one can find things that have resulted in our Santa of today. The giving and the sharing, the need to be good, and even Santa’s name. Second is a poem published anonymously in 1823 titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. This poem, later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, is what we now refer to as “The Night Before Christmas”. It provided us with the little old man, so lively and quick, along with the description of his mode of transport (the sleigh), and the names of his eight tiny reindeer. Santa still deserves a place in our lives today and should be there for times yet to come. This is hope. The fear is that the “book banners” and the “realists” will eliminate fantasy from the world, much as they have eliminated parts of history that are “inconvenient” or might “insult” those who have differing views. This is the fear.

Trees – I really have no understanding of how or why the tree has become an important part of Christmas. I can only hope that it remains important in the future. I recognize, however, that the tree faces much controversy. The biggest threat to the Christmas tree is the survival of families and friendship. If these things do not survive, then the need for a Christmas tree will no longer exist. Such as loss would be devastating. The second threat to the Christmas tree is a more subtle change to society. As we move toward environmental awareness, we face challenges in how we retain tradition. On a small scale, almost insignificant in my view, the use of Christmas trees threatens our environment. To use live trees, we take away their ability to provide the benefits of trees left to grow. If we use artificial trees, we waste resources in their creation and create trash to be dealt with when the trees are no longer needed.

The Christmas tree really presents both hope and fear. Hopefully, we as humans can face and resolve the need to balance this challenge.

Gifts or Presents – Much like Christmas trees, gifts and presents in the times yet to come present challenges. Sometimes I think that my generation has failed our children. We did not create the world, but we seem to have changed it in a way that has caused irreversible problems. How did we do this? We created the world of entitlement. A world where there were no winners or losers, ignoring the fact that to have a winner you must also have a loser. A world where a person deserves something simply because another has it. A world where can live in a castle, travel without financial cares, and be unlimited in their desires. Such a world seems wonderful, almost Eden-like. But is it realistic?

This has led to a world where the value of a gift is no longer judged by the love or caring it represents but instead by the cost. I am realistic enough to recognize that we cannot return to the time that a gift of a few pieces of candy was treasured as much as one of a pricy toy. At the same time, I hope that we can return to a time where it is recognized that we cannot always have what we want. If this means that gifts are a fear, so be it.

Trains – I suspect that the time of trains at Christmas has come and gone. Much of the romanticism of trains which was common in my youth no longer exists. My hope here is that our future can replace the trains of the past with something as valuable to our future. While it may seem strange, as someone who worked for many years in the technology field, I do not believe our electronics can fill this role. My hope is that we can replace trains with something which contributes to the days yet to come. Perhaps a replacement might be to plant a sapling and helping it grow or sharing our heritage and emphasizing the positive rather than concentrating on things gone wrong. There is hope but there is also the fear that the time and opportunity for this to happen has passed us by.

Parades – There will always be a place in my heart for parades. Much like Santa, they provide us a moment of fantasy. Could the things on that float ever become real? Could I ever play music like that band? What other fantasies do parades offer others?

In my childhood, I could not imagine a time where there were no parades. Yet today and in the future, parades face many challenges – cost, time, convenience, safety, the list goes on. Parades are not limited to Christmas time. I recently read where a large city was cancelling there Fourth of July parade next year; a parade that has been held in one form or another since the late 1800’s. Will the same fate await the Christmas parade. I hope not, but I fear so. Not because of the reasons above but instead because of political correctness. Because of things that may have happened over 200 years ago and not even in this city It is a shame. Something that will probably never be returned if it is lost.

Snow – Snow is the one thing that we cannot control. My hope is that climate change will never stop the snow. I hope we can always wish for a white Christmas. I fear that here, the environmentalists may be right. Let us hope not.

As I end this short series of posts, I want to thank Charles Dickens for his inspiration. I thank Ebenezer Scrooge, at least after his enlightenment, and Jacob Marley. I thank Dickens’ spirits. And I thank my wife and those around me. I thank our two cats, whether they are trying to show their independence or their love. I hope that you, too, will think about your Christmases – past, present, and yet to come. And, I hope that they will be merry both now and in the future.

“The Cat Who Saved Books” By Sosuke Natsukawa (A Book Review)

I read for enjoyment. Sometimes I start a book and then stop because I am not enjoying the read although this does not happen often. More commonly I tend to take the time to savor what I am reading. This may include reading a short passage, a page or two or even a chapter, then taking a break to ponder what I have read. Occasionally I start a book and read it quickly then return to read selected passages that I found more interesting than others. But rarely do I find a book that it is very difficult to put down.

“The Cat Who Saved Books” was one of those rare treasures. The story was captivating. The translation by Louise Heal Kawai was excellent. The cover artwork by Yuko Shimizu was beautiful. I find it hard to say anything bad about this novel other than it was far too short.

I was visiting our local Barnes & Noble a few days ago browsing for a new book. Something that could be read for pure pleasure. I slowly cruised the “new releases” aisles in this quest. Initially I was having difficulty finding what I desired. During my first pass, I couldn’t seem to find what I wanted although Shimizu’s cover caught my eye. Even during a second trip around this area, there was no strong draw other than the same cover. As a cat lover, my thought was that the draw was the cat on the cover. But as I started a third trip through the “new arrivals,” I decided to pick up the book and read the synopsis. When I did, I found something there that told me I had to read this book. I am so glad that I did.

Back at home, I put the book on my nightstand for later reading. There it sat for a few hours. Then I began reading. Little did I expect that I would not put the book down, except for a few very short breaks, until it was finished.

The book opens with a young man, Rintaro, standing sadly at the funeral of his grandfather. The grandfather owned a used bookstore. A store with only a single aisle where books were shelved floor to ceiling, seemingly in no order at all. Yet his grandfather seemed to have known every book there and where it could be found. He had passed much of this knowledge to his grandson. Now, the grandson was expected to give up the bookstore to live with his aunt until he became an adult.

Little did anyone know that this was not to happen nor why. And they probably would not have believed it had they been told.

After the funeral, the boy returned to the bookstore to contemplate what had happened and what his future would be. As he sat, the bell outside the door rang. When he answered, no one was there, nor had anyone entered. Then he heard a deep voice talking to him. He looked for a person but instead saw only a cat. Could it be? A talking cat? Surely not, yet it was. The cat told the young man that it needed his help. There were books to be saved and only the young man and the cat could do it.

Once the cat convinced the young man to join him, the solid wood wall at the back of the bookstore opened and the adventure began. Through the book, the cat, Rintaro, and at least one other go to four labyrinths to save books. Each labyrinth is more challenging than the previous.

Will Rintaro and the cat succeed? How will this affect Rintaro’s future? Will the bookstore survive? Is this really a prediction of the end of books? To answer all these questions, you must read this book. As you read, be sure to watch for the words of wisdom, sometimes offered by the late grandfather and at others offered by Rintaro as his knowledge grows. I think you, too, will find the story enchanting and hard to put down. And you may find it exceptional as I did.

“Chiefs” By Stuart Woods (A Book Review)

I have long wanted to write a review of one of the works of a favorite author, Stuart Woods. I found this particularly difficult because of Woods’ long writing career including both novels and nonfiction works. Finally, I decided not to delay longer and try to capture the essence of his first novel, “Chiefs”. I would note that while “Chiefs” is his first novel, originally published in 1981, it is not his first book. Before “Chiefs” he wrote a book describing his experiences sailing, including a trans-Atlantic trip from the United Kingdom to the United States, and a guidebook to locations throughout the U.K.

“Chiefs” is loosely based on a childhood experience in Woods’ life when he found an old badge in a relatives’ attic. The badge appeared to be blood stained and damage from some type of firearm. Woods found that this was true, and the badge had been worn by one of his ancestors.

According to Woods, it took many years for the story he was told to transition into a novel and then took about eight years to be written and published. Most of the writing occurred in Ireland where Woods lived, almost as a hermit. Like several of Woods’ early novels the story is not part of any series although it does introduce several characters and locations that appear in his later works. The novel focuses on four individuals who lived in the rural south beginning in the 1920’s and continuing until after the end of World War II. A time when the country, particularly the south, was in transition.  Three of these individuals were law enforcement officers in a small Georgia town. The other seemed to believe that he was more qualified than any to hold the position.

The first officer, Will Henry Lee, was a former cotton farmer. Like many other small farmers, he could no longer support his family by farming. Since the town was looking for its first police chief, Will Henry asked for the position and was accepted. He was successful in the position until his untimely, and some would say accidental, death while on duty. His badge, much like that of Woods’ ancestor, suffered the same fate.

The second chief, Sonny Butts, came on the scene years later. He might have been considered a thug had the circumstances been different. He was a motorcycle riding hot head, not afraid to treat the town’s elite in the same manner as it’s poor. He had proven himself a reasonably good police officer and was appointed chief after the death of his predecessor. After becoming chief, simply disappeared, not immediately but after some time.

The final chief in the story was a black man, something extremely unusual in that timeframe not just in the rural south but anywhere in the country.  He had experience in the military and was fair to all the residents of the town. Because of his experience and a recent event, he began looking at the history of related crimes in the town’s past.  His findings seemed to point to someone in or near the town being guilty of or at least knowledgeable of the crimes. Yet when he tried to report these things to the long-term county sheriff, they were laughed off. Could this be because of the chief’s race or was there some other underlying reason?

The fourth principal character in the book was an odd individual who lived a short distance outside the town. Someone who wanted to be the chief but was never selected. Someone who often appeared dressed as a hero from WW I, although his service was questionable. Someone who lived as a hermit but was known to have a large collection of weapons. A person who, if nothing else, was looked on as odd, quirky, or even crazy. What was his role?

Did any of these characters have a relationship? What role did each play in the growth of the town? Or were all just passing ships in the night? This is for the reader to find out.

I was able to find this novel in paperback form from a 2005 printing. It is unlikely that an copies of the original hardcopy version can be found since there were only about 20,00 copies printed. It is worth the hunt to read the book. Captivating, yes. Hard to put down, yes. And a challenge to try to solve the mysteries before reaching the conclusion. Search for it. Read it. And enjoy.