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My thoughts are at a crossroads. Not a problematic one, or even a serious one. Just one of those ones you get when writerly thoughts (on worldbuilding) attach themselves to the stuff of daily life (Passover preparations). I'm standing here not knowing which way to go.
Science fiction is really not very good at handling the ritual side of religion. I'm not sure that most hard SF is terribly good at handling religion at all, because too many writers want to break it down into believers and non-believers, or the reality of deity or the unreality of deity, and in the process they kind of simplify what religion is actually about for most human beings: big questions too often scoot around the truths of little lives. (Not all writers do this, let me hasten to add - just too many for my personal comfort.)
Anyhow, my crossroads looks something like this: alien beings have decided they're Jewish (who said aliens were intelligent?) and, being observant Jews, they have to prepare for Passover. I initially thought of non-carbon based lifeforms and wondering how they would do the unleavened bread bit, but I decided that the crossroads are way more interesting than that. It was my imagination that was boring.
Pick an alien, any alien. Tell me how they would change their lives to reflect Passover.
If you've never seen it done, for eight days we have no leavening in our vicinity which means changing the dishes before the beginning of Passover (cos they touch leavening in normal life), getting new food in (supervised so it hasn't been leavened by anything by mistake), making sure that all the regular kosher stuff is done (eg keeping milk and meat separate) and etc. Etc are all the implications that flow-on from the focus on getting rid of leavening. Etc is a *lot* of housework.
I can't work this one out.
I have no idea what a lifeform that eats only silica would define as leavening so that they could observe Passover. I have no idea about the householding implications of Passover for any lifeform other than our own. And I'm curious. For me right now, wiping down benches and locating fresh horseradish and finishing up food are tormenting my days and nights. I will be feeding between ten and thirteen people while obeying all these rules.
I would love to see how aliens of any kind deal with it. Certainly better than I am dealing right now! (Though this morning I lovingly wiped down all my spice containers and re-arranged them and if anyone wants the basket thing they used to sit in, just ask.)
All speculation gratefully received.
Science fiction is really not very good at handling the ritual side of religion. I'm not sure that most hard SF is terribly good at handling religion at all, because too many writers want to break it down into believers and non-believers, or the reality of deity or the unreality of deity, and in the process they kind of simplify what religion is actually about for most human beings: big questions too often scoot around the truths of little lives. (Not all writers do this, let me hasten to add - just too many for my personal comfort.)
Anyhow, my crossroads looks something like this: alien beings have decided they're Jewish (who said aliens were intelligent?) and, being observant Jews, they have to prepare for Passover. I initially thought of non-carbon based lifeforms and wondering how they would do the unleavened bread bit, but I decided that the crossroads are way more interesting than that. It was my imagination that was boring.
Pick an alien, any alien. Tell me how they would change their lives to reflect Passover.
If you've never seen it done, for eight days we have no leavening in our vicinity which means changing the dishes before the beginning of Passover (cos they touch leavening in normal life), getting new food in (supervised so it hasn't been leavened by anything by mistake), making sure that all the regular kosher stuff is done (eg keeping milk and meat separate) and etc. Etc are all the implications that flow-on from the focus on getting rid of leavening. Etc is a *lot* of housework.
I can't work this one out.
I have no idea what a lifeform that eats only silica would define as leavening so that they could observe Passover. I have no idea about the householding implications of Passover for any lifeform other than our own. And I'm curious. For me right now, wiping down benches and locating fresh horseradish and finishing up food are tormenting my days and nights. I will be feeding between ten and thirteen people while obeying all these rules.
I would love to see how aliens of any kind deal with it. Certainly better than I am dealing right now! (Though this morning I lovingly wiped down all my spice containers and re-arranged them and if anyone wants the basket thing they used to sit in, just ask.)
All speculation gratefully received.