LeVar Burton: The Apocalyptic Vision
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MsgId: example(4) MsgId: example(5) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:01:13 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 AFTERMATH is about an apocalyptic America, devastated by a race war and major natural disasters. LeVar, how many stories about the world's end have you read? What's the one which is most vivid in your mind? MsgId: example(6) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:03:45 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 Wow. I've never really asked myself that question before -- How many stories about the end of the world have I read. I suppose, as I try and answer it, is that all representations of the future in some way indicate an end of the old way. That is to say, all positive visions of the future, in some way, express a transition from that which ceases to serve to a general consensus that works. /ga MsgId: example(7) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:03:59 EST 1997 From: dreamwlk At: 192.75.13.101 I'm on a pretty primitive connection, OMNI-MODERATOR. Is it possible to retrieve a log of this event if I lose contact completely? MsgId: example(8) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:07:02 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 I know that you wanted to become a Catholic priest when you were younger, but you decided to become an actor instead. Did you ever study the symbolism of Revelations? MsgId: example(9) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:07:59 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 I'm not sure if there is a log of the chat available, but you can search the site to see if a record is kept. MsgId: example(10) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:09:47 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 Yeah, I did spend some time at the seminary, in fact, I studied for the priesthood for four years before embarking on the path that I am currently on. Actually, no, I never had occasion to study the symbolism of Revelations. Sounds interesting, though. What specific symbols are you referring to? /ga MsgId: example(11) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:11:08 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 Is bodyany out there? No, I mean out there in cyberspace, not the vast horizon we look at through the eyes of what we have come to believe. LeVar Burton please answer me. I hope you remember.... 43 times around the sun. Pendancer@innerx.net MsgId: example(12) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:13:09 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 Revelations has a lot of symbolism which elaborates on the prophecies by Daniel, from the Old Testament. I know when I was in Catholic school and took religion classes, we had to study what the Beast of Babylon, the Seven Seals, the New Jerusalem, etc. and identify them with things Daniel described. MsgId: example(13) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:13:10 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 Okay, since I'm new at this, I'll try again. I once heard someone say that time is not an illusion, man holds an illusionary concept of time. 43 times around the sun... remember? Pendancer@innerx.net MsgId: example(14) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:16:09 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 A reminder to the audience: Tonight's discussion is about LeVar Burton's novel, AFTERMATH--and the apocalypse. Please ask questions relating to Mr. Burton's novel, roles, or his work--please do not make general statements which cannot be answered. MsgId: example(15) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:19:16 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 In the writing of my book AFTERMATH, the exercise for me was to start from where we are now, here in the present, and extrapolate outward, looking at situations that we have created for ourselves in the present. It is not unreasonable to imagine a near-future where fear has manifested in forms that have the potential to engulf humanity. Specific manifestations I refer to in AFTERMATH are a combination of factors, all pointing to collapse. There is an economic collapse, precipitated by the dismantling of the space program, there is a geophysical collapse, as evidenced by the 9.1 magnitude earthquake on the New Madrid fault, and there is a collapse of the society infrastructure itself, as represented by the race war, which is triggered by the assassination of the first African-American president, Lawrence Everette. So it's these more immediate factors that I have concerned myself with rather than the broader Biblical brushstrokes. Not to discount those, and I'm not even saying that, ultimately, those prophecies aren't in some way being fulfilled in these events, but my focus was certainly the former, as opposed to the latter. /ga MsgId: example(16) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:20:48 EST 1997 From: Stay_Stay At: 152.163.233.118 Hi LeVar--Aftermath's vision of the 21st century was pretty brutal--do you believe we're headed for our own destruction? MsgId: example(17) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:21:27 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 I listened to you reading an except from your book. I've come across something rather interesting. In Isaac Asimov's "Book of Facts" he states that rain contains Vitamin B-12. And what is B-12 good for? Building blood. So, when they mess with the weather, air and..... what are they really doing? Mae Barrena Pendancer@innerx.net MsgId: example(18) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:23:36 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 AFTERMATH does deal with issues which are troubling America now. Do you think there are other issues which you didn't write about that you think are just as important for people to pay attention to? Do you think that most Americans agree that a race war is imminent? MsgId: example(19) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:28:53 EST 1997 From: dreamwlk At: 192.75.13.101 A rather more general question: Both acting and writing are highly individual, creative activities. Which did you find most challenging? Most rewarding? Which would you prefer to concentrate your energy on in future? Or are you going to try and accommodate both in the same proportion you already have? MsgId: example(20) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:29:23 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 I'll admit, I'm computer illiterate. I wanted so much to chat with Mr. Burton, and maybe somehow this last message will get through. I'm not waiting around any longer though, I hate frustration. Signing off....again Mae Barrena MsgId: example(21) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:29:35 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 Yes, absolutely, there are many issues that we have created that are calling out for our attention that I did not address in the novel. But let me take a moment to address this issue of inevitability, because I think it's important. I want to state emphatically that in no way do I believe that the events that I depict in the beginning of the book, are fait accompli. I present them as a possible future. An outcome that we have the potential to create, and, given our present course of action, a future that is not difficult to imagine. AFTERMATH is, above all else, a cautionary tale. At its center, AFTERMATH is a novel of redemption. And, the redemptive act, for our heroes, is in choosing a new way of being. The message of the novel is "what if we made that choice without the need to create an apocalypse" and in so doing, avoid the fall. You see, it's all about choice. (cont) MsgId: example(22) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:31:52 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 Dreamwalk has brought up a question which wasn't addressed during an earlier session. If you want to answer it, LeVar.... MsgId: example(23) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:32:16 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 In answer to your question, Do I think most Americans think a race war is imminent, in all honesty, I'm not sure that most Americans are conscious about their views on race, at all. That is, in fact, a large part of the problem. We are not aware enough of what it is that we think and speak and do. The challenge that we are all faced with in this life is bringing that absolute sense of consciousness to our lives in every moment, in every thought and word and deed. Because when we are consciously aware, the choices we make tend to take on a different tone. /ga MsgId: example(24) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:33:49 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 MsgId: example(25) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:36:11 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 In AFTERMATH, you begin in the year 2019. Does the oncoming new millennium scare you in any way? Or is 2000 just another year? What do you see happening in the real world by 2019? MsgId: example(26) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:38:37 EST 1997 From: AC At: 206.100.228.124 I wonder what you believe is the issue that presents the greatest challenge for us in the near future. Some say it is racism, some abortion etc. Is there an issue at hand that could be as damaging and divisive as slavery? MsgId: example(27) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:39:20 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 In actuality, from my point of view, acting is not an individual creative process at all. There are aspects of it that happen in solitude, for instance, some of the research and the homework necessary to create a character. But acting is a highly collaborative artform. When you're in a play onstage, or on a set with cameras, the objective is to be as "present" as possible, with the other actors in the scene. To bring that spark of life and reality to an otherwise artificial moment. I found writing to be very solitary, for the most part, but it was also collaborative in the sense that everything that was coming out of me was being bounced off another person in the form of my editor, Betsy Mitchell, and she was constantly helping to give shape and form to what was sometimes nothing more than a blithering non-stop stream of consciousness. As to which I would rather do, jeez, I must admit, I'm rather greedy and intend to satisfy myself with many different aspects of the creative playground. Acting was, and is, my first love. And these days, directing and producing have totally seduced me. They are what occupy the majority of my time. As for this writing thing, I am eager to do it again and it will probably be a while before I challenge myself to write a novel. /ga MsgId: example(28) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:40:29 EST 1997 From: Mae At: 206.153.28.141 Yes, I AM the Mae that wrote the Rolding article and sent the lovely card with the SUN. So, you do remember. In this hateful world, there is a ray of hope still. Thought you might like to know, I visited a place called Chubbtown yesterday. I interviewed a lady who is the grandaughter of one of the eight brothers who founded the first self-contained black community during the civil war. I'm writing about it next. Thank you LeVar for remembering. Pendancer@innerx.net P.S. Your book will be in my hands tomorrow. MsgId: example(29) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:41:19 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 I'm sorry, LeVar. I'd asked about your feelings about the new millennium, as well as what you thought would happen by the year 2019 (the year in which your book begins).... MsgId: example(30) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:43:46 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 No, the advent of the new millennium holds no cause for fear. I'm not afraid of it in any way that I am aware of. In fact, just the opposite. It feels to me to hold so much promise -- the promise of the fulfillment of the possibilities inherent in this new age of Aquarius that we have entered into. We have just successfully transitioned out of the Piscean age, and as far as most of the wisdom traditions on the planet are concerned, the message of the Piscean age, or at least one of the messages of the Piscean age, can be distilled into the statement as reflected by the words of Jesus the Christ -- Love your neighbors as yourself. It occurs to me that that promise that I spoke of could be reflected in the following: My neighbor and myself are one and the same. /ga MsgId: example(31) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:46:25 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 What are some signs of the "end" that you see happening now? Or do you see any signs of that at all? MsgId: example(32) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:47:18 EST 1997 From: dreamwlk At: 192.75.13.101 Are millennial, or apocalyptic, themes something that interest you in the long term? Or could your next novel, whenever you can squeeze one in :), be completely different in tone and topic? MsgId: example(33) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:49:42 EST 1997 From: Stay_Stay At: 152.163.233.118 One of the things that really struck me about Aftermath were the skinners--was there anything in particular behind the creation of this idea? MsgId: example(34) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:52:12 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 Well, let me say that there are plenty of indicators that the end is near and it's equally important to put the "end" in proper context. I'm not one of those who ascribe to the point of view that the end refers to the destruction of our species. Quite the contrary, my belief is that the end is simply a transition from a denser form of consciousness to one involving higher frequencies. If you look at some of the information contained in indiginous prophecies from around the world, several of them point to some time in May, I believe it's the 25th, of the year 2013, as the end of time. What this indicates to me is that this is simply a line of demarcation beyond which the script has yet to be written. The other side of that point in time has yet to be filled, has yet to be created by us. We are the creators of the future, that future. There was a time, in the not too distant past, where it looked and felt very much like what we were in the process of creating was our ultimate destruction. We were, in fact, not very long ago, on the brink of annihilation. I believe that time has passed. I believe we were successful in avoiding that potential future. /ga MsgId: example(35) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:54:17 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 It's funny that you mention that May date--especially since history shows that many wars begin during the summer and end during May. To have our "end" happen in May is, obviously, reversing that trend! MsgId: example(36) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:57:09 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 I have a final question: can the apocalypse be considered a "personal thing"? For example, there are islands in Micronesia who are undergoing the "end of the world" for their people right now, in terms of the sea rising and beginning to swallow up formerly accessible parts of their islands. Do you think that there are people going through an "apocalypse now", so to speak--or is it global? MsgId: example(37) Date: Wed Mar 12 21:58:41 EST 1997 From: dreamwlk At: 192.75.13.101 Speaking of May and a variety of endings, I was curious to know if the earthquake in AFTERMATH owed anything to the 05/05/2000 'quake that's supposedly foreseen in the measurements of the Giza pyramid, the Cayce prophesies, and that, of course, coincides with the planetary conjunctions happening on and around that date? Or was an earthquake just good drama? :) MsgId: example(38) Date: Wed Mar 12 22:01:41 EST 1997 From: LeVar_Burton At: 152.173.222.185 Your point is absolutely brilliant. There is no question that that is indeed and in fact, the truth. Each and every one of us will be facing our own personal armageddon and the choices that we make will either bring that apocalypse to bear, or facilitate a peaceful, graceful transition at the next level of consciousness, what some refer to as the Fifth Dimension. In that sense, we are, every one of us, a hologram, creating not just in our own name, but every other soul on the planet. That's it. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of y'all for tunin' in, and hangin' out. Interesting discussion this evening -- I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't wait to see what Friday brings. /ga MsgId: example(39) Date: Wed Mar 12 22:04:16 EST 1997 From: OMNI_Moderator At: 204.30.67.42 Thank you, LeVar, for a great (and what I wished could've been longer) discussion! Friday night is the last night of the Virtual Booktour--when LeVar Burton will be talking about his own future. Join us for the final AFTERMATH talk, 9-10pm EST! |
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