• Before every story there is a story that affects that story
• The earlier story can become several different stories
• Stories can further change relatively independently of one another
• Stories matter since they are the foundations for further stories

A less wrong image of evolution?	Adding the stories

Fitting Ishmael in ... and with?

Call me Ishmael

... it was ever Ishmael's way to extend a thought. "Think of the Cathedral of Chartres. Think of its two towers. They do not match at all ... but without both spires, our Chartres would not be Chartres ... My whole book is but a draft - nay the draft of a draft". I said I felt the same about my book The wind enwrapped us both, with whirling, invisible arms; its fingers plowed our hair ... With our faces uplifed toward the stars, he said, "And what do you think, Una, of these hearless immensities?" "That we are a part of them, and they a part of us"

A still more less wrong image/story?

Being as stubborn as I am, my immediate reaction was "of course i don't rely on other people, i'm exceedingly independent, self reliant, and damn good at it at that." However, after reading her question I went on to reading some of your reactions to my post about Ahab's Wife .. Reading your thoughts made my thoughts clearer. The clarity of my thoughts were somewhat reliant on yours. They may still be my thoughts, but they were affected by all of you. And so, while I'm not sure that we're dependent on others entirely, we cannot help but being affected by each other. And i think that is a stronger, healthier connection than dependence, and so that is how I will choose to think of our interactions ... Diane The stories in this forum evolve me ... Melville's message of open-mindedness and appreciation of diversity told the story that was evolving in humanity! He gave an eloquent fellow voice to this new feeling within, and modeled a openminded approach to thought. His approach is still helpful today as we struggle through our issues of acceptance of others ... Mary am I protecting my identity, and is that identity my story, my evolving story ... Ro it speaks to a relationship in which the two characters allow each other to be. it reflects a respectful SILENCE ... Orah I see the story of una and moby dick as bridges from one to the other. It helps me understand the stoy which is being told to think of it as one big story rather than two seperate parts ... Fritz

From biology/evolution to literature and back Expanding/contracting, divergence/convergence, clinging/floating? The present is created by the past; the future is made possible by the present .... but is more than the past? includes skybooks/authorial intent? Interactions affect the future, directly and by lateral spread? You can't backtrack in evolution; can one backtrack on stories?

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