Childhood's End: The Human Spectacle

Another scifi classic first published in 1953, Childhood's End, traverses concepts like alien invasion, destiny, the supernatural, humanity's purpose, and free will. Clarke's premise begins with the invasion of the Overlords, who are technologically advanced, benevolent and seek to supervise the world in the name of bringing peace and prosperity. They are successful and bring about the golden age for man but their true purpose and appearance remains shrouded in mystery for a handful of generations. Childhood's End examines the result of their invasion and the eventual culmination of their arrival.

I found myself compelled by many of the twists and turns of the plot and the philosophical ruminations on the peaks of technological and social progress. What is religion, what is science, what is art, what is the purpose of struggle and strife? What if we removed war and tribulation and fulfill the base needs of all humanity (by and large eliminating crime, poverty, and hunger)? Then we see humans flourish on earth. With a premise like this, Clarke inevitably probes into humanity's ultimate purpose....

“No utopia can ever give satisfaction to everyone, all the time. As their material conditions improve, men raise their sights and become discontented with power and possessions that once would have seemed beyond their wildest dreams. And even when the external world has granted all it can, there still remain the searchings of the mind and the longings of the heart.” 

On my read-through, the book feels disjointed and not as fleshed out as I would have liked it. However,  Childhood's End successfully stretched the dimensions of my mind, even just a little. The final pages of the book, in particular, leave me with an internal struggle (possible spoilers ahead?):

What is humanity and are we irrelevant in the vast expanse of the universe? Sometimes I read books like these and it's hard, as an individual soul (or am I?), to get on-board with the idea presented here --- that we are meant to merge with a higher power. Yes, something innate within us longs to be part of a collective, a community, and that somehow provides meaning and purpose. At the same time, we are individual and existential... and that somehow allows self-determination and free will. That's a simplistic summary of what I view to be the human paradox, to be sure. Grandiose religion, science, and art all seem to dance around this. As I am, I am stuck in an in-between.

Thought-provoking, imaginative, full of high-concepts, and plot-driven, reading Childhood's End is an embrace of science fiction's roots. Clarke is one of the "big three" of classic science fiction (among Asimov and Heinlein) so it stands to reason that it is a "must read." It is definitely still relevant more than half a century later.

P.S. I should really start my own Goodreads.... but I don't feel very confident in my book reviews because I normally don't put a lot of time or thought into it. Though I will admit I've gotten somewhat better over time, I mostly just spew out a bunch of random thoughts (and spoilers) and leave it as is.

Currently Listening: Kina Grannis - For Now
Currently Reading: Circe (Madeline Miller), The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Character, Love, and Achievement (David Brooks)