My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration: Parable Of The Talents by Octavia Butler

“If I had to get shot by strangers, shouldn’t it be while I was trying to help the community, and not just while I was trying to run away?”

From Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

If you suffer from depression or anxiety, I do not recommend this book. Yet the themes of The Parable of the Talents gain momentum every day. Also, the quality of the writing is outstanding.

I did not want to read this dystopian novel, but I felt compelled to do so due to its relevance. With an attitude of detachment and skimming through some terrifying parts, I was able to navigate the disgusting violence in this story. There is, however, a sense of comfort in the author's wisdom.

In 2032 many people are bamboozled by a man who promised to make America great again. Enough voters in America believed that a “strong man” was needed to lead the country. The so-called “strong man” is a fascist, authoritarian guy with many insecurities and hatred toward anybody he considers different…

Lack of quality education of the masses in 2032 plays an important role in helping the tyrant become president. The Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments are clearly violated by his “administration.” Innocent people are abducted for no reason and some of them are sent to concentration camps…

The effects of climate change are wreaking havoc on America; sex slavery and other forms of slavery are normalized under the fascist regime. The elected fascist president promised peace but drags America into a war on Canada.

Above all, the tyrant promised to make America great again:

“He wants to take us back to some magical time when everyone believed in the same God, worshipped him in the same way and understood that their safety in the universe depended on completing the same religious rituals and stomping anyone who was different. There was never such a time in this country. But these days when more than half the people in the country can’t read at all, history is just one more vast unknown to them.”

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler starts in the year 2032. It is about Lauren Olamina and her family. It is about her community. Lauren Olamina’s daughter, Larkin, reviews the entries of her mother’s journal. In doing so, we learn what happened to Larkin’s parents and to the members of their community.

Larkin had been forcibly separated from her parents by the regime. Alternating with Lauren Olamina’s journal entries, we read Larkin's narrative. Larkin shares her own dreadful experiences.

This disturbing, prescient novel shows how technology can be used by authoritarian demagogues against the people of a country. It reveals how technology is used to dominate, manipulate and even kill its own people. I am reeling from the unpleasant experience of reading Parable of the Talents. It made me have nightmares. On the other hand, the novel also offers wisdom and inspiration (more on this later in the post).

Lauren and the presidential election of a fascist dictator

Despite the election of the fascist demagogue, Lauren Olamina is determined to strengthen the bonds of the unique community she created. The name of this community is “Earthseed.” “Earthseed” was her source of hope. She poured her heart and soul into this community.

There is a brief introduction on “Earthseed” in Parable of the Sower. “Earthseed”, however, becomes even more relevant and clear on the pages of Parable of the Talents as we discover the details on its inner workings, aspirations and goals. Not surprisingly, “Earthseed” also becomes a target of the regime.

Lauren Olamina worked hard to strengthen her community and to expand it. Through “Earthseed” Lauren Olamina prioritized education, sustainability and empathy. She forged bonds of trust and cooperation, and she did whatever she could to protect the members of her community. However, after the fascist leader takes over America something terrifying happens…

Under the tyrant’s fascist regime, sexual slavery and other forms of slavery are normalized. It is a dystopian reality:

“Thanks to malnutrition, climate change, poverty and ignorance a lot of diseases are back and some of them are contagious.” Also, the regime goes after her community. I will not elaborate on this. I will let you dive in and find out more.

One important aspect of the story to reflect upon is the way education had been sabotaged over the years, because this may have been one of the factors that enabled the sexist, misogynistic mafia boss to gain support and win enough votes to get elected as president.

“Public schools had become rare in those days when ten-year old children could be put to work.”

It is distressing to read that the elected mafia boss claims to be after criminals while protecting pedophiles and rapists that support him. Moreover, many of his own supporters are in denial of the situation even when they know what is going on, and the survivors are blamed and falsely accused of being "heathens."

The insights and visionary power of Octavia Butler

Nobody can deny that Octavia Butler was a visionary. I was astonished when I learned that Parable of the Talents was published in 1998. As I ponder on the story, I realize that Octavia Butler had an in-depth understanding of her present. This can be corroborated in her last interview, which took place a few months before she passed away. You can read about it here.

It is true that in order to be a visionary, a person needs to have an understanding of the present, but the present is also connected to the past, and the study of history requires knowledge of sociology and politics combined. Understanding the confluence of sociology and politics is necessary to fully comprehend political developments. She clearly had the knowledge and wisdom to perceive the impact of both in society.

Lauren Olamina embraces change. In doing so, she cultivates resilience and perseveres in the face of trauma. She is a fighter, a woman who awakens you to the truth of the past in the following lines:

“My ancestors in this hemisphere were, by law, chattel slaves. In the U.S., they were chattel slaves for two and a half centuries--at least 10 generations.”

Parable of the Talents shares insights into social situations that put groups of people down in various ways, an act that is compounded by the ignorance of people who vote against their own interests.

Butler is not afraid of exposing the social drivel that marginalizes women. She has the talent of encapsulating the provincial mindset and behaviors in a single paragraph. Her wisdom and experience shine through her narrative.

All in all, her book is an important warning to those who genuinely care about democracy, justice, freedom and our future on Earth.

Features of fascism (This list is based on the description provided by Keene State College, and I adapted it to provide more precise information).

-Loyalty to the leader is paramount.

-Powerful, often exclusionary, populist nationalism centered on the cult of an “infallible” leader who never admits mistakes.

-Political power derived from questioning reality and promoting lies. In America we have heard the word “hoax” in relation to topics that the fascist in power considers inconvenient. Some examples of these include the following: “climate change is a hoax”, “Epstein files are a hoax”, “COVID is a Hoax”; he also referred to “affordability as a hoax perpetrated by Democrats.” Interestingly, this pattern of referring to critical issues as “hoaxes” started over ten years ago, but the voters did not take heed.

-The use of scapegoats to blame vulnerable groups of people and to fuel hatred and division in the population.

- Persecution, imprisonment and/or execution of opponents.

-Rampant sexism.

-Control of mass media and undermining “truth”.

-There is an obsession with national security and crime that is used to terrorize and oppress groups of people.

-Religion and government are intertwined.

-Corporate power is protected and prioritized at the expense of public health, workers and the environment.

-Disdain for intellectuals and the arts when they do not align with the interests of the regime.

-Fraudulent elections. This is something we have to work on to prevent it from happening. In America Trump has dismantled protections and has cut positions at agencies responsible for election security. In several ways he has threatened the democratic process and you can read about this here:

-Rampant corruption and cronyism.

-The regime often seeks to expand territory through armed conflict.

- The regime opposes any initiatives and institutions that promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

-Disregard for human rights is a feature of fascism.

I would like to add to this list the disdain for science when it does not align with the interests of the corporations that finance the election of the fascist.

Please support the independent journalists who are doing a remarkable job reporting what is going on in America today. I provide several relevant links to their reporting at the bottom of this post. You can subscribe to their channels.

Feel free to also take action today to stand up to fascism and the environmental destruction perpetrated by the trump regime:

https://www.aclu.org/action

https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/get-involved/

https://earthjustice.org/action

Relevant links and reporting by independent journalists:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f13HINY_6RY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmCgX-dPFnc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0En3X--3-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSkzN7R5VAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv5bfo_m1_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNtK4syb_cE

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minneapolis-hospital-ice-beating-assault-4e77742e0629fc7f127c0aa38b3d2a70