Susan Watkins -- Outside Reading 5

Right now I'm reading the science fiction classic Dune by Frank Herbert. It's a little difficult for me to read because its plotline is largely politically-driven, and all of the complicated relationships and intrigues just don't catch my interest very well. However, there's something that keeps drawing me back and making even all the extra stuff seem worthwhile, and I think it's the myth and mystery embodied in the main character, Paul Atreides. Paul is a human boy who is the unknowing product of centuries of genetic fine-tuning by a mysterious cult called the Bene Gesserit, who seek to protect and preserve the human race. The first fourth of the novel sees Paul transform from normal to almost supernatural as he finds himself increasingly able to tap into and affect the complex relationships between time and space.

To me, Paul embodies a lot of different aspects of mystery and wonder. I can relate to him because he suddenly awakes one day and finds out he is caught up in a plan and purpose infintely larger than himself, may have more significance than he ever dreamed, and has to choose how he will live such a life. I feel like this as well, not because I have any special power in myself but becasue of my faith in God. I also feel like I can relate to him because he finds himself learning and increasingly able to sense things beyond the immediate; the very same Sacred we study and this class is helping me tap into, as well.