It’s how I feel these days.
Stranger in a Strange Land is the title of a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1961 …
A child born during a failed mission from Earth to Mars remains the only survivor and is raised by Martians, only to return to earth two decades later, hitching back with another, successful mission. Brought up by Martians, he is now an alien encountering aliens …
The book makes worthwhile reading, even more relevant now then it was decades ago. The title came to mind recently, and it also brought up a precious connected memory.
During the late 70s, instigated by my then Sufi teacher, Fazal Inayat-Khan, I stayed with my then partner and later husband for several weeks in Washington DC, at the time when President Carter was inaugurated. Our contact person was Dr Abdul Aziz Said, Professor for International Relations at the American University.
The above image is us at Amsterdam flee market, raising money to the journey To Washington D.C.
I posted about Dr Abdul Aziz Said in 2015 … https://courseofmirrors.com/2015/11/28/the-inner-jihad/
In that post I did not enlarge on the remarkable people we were introduced to during our stay.
One such person was a young scholar who held an influential position at the American Library, the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill, and the largest library in the world. He welcomed us to a tour of this magnificent place – a great privilege. At one point he asked if there was a book we would like him to locate for us. My partner and I looked at each other and had no problem choosing … ‘Stranger in a Strange Land.’ A short search on a console and the book came whizzing through the extensive tube network of the library and landed in our hands in no time.
This happened half a lifetime ago. I’m thankful for this memory.
If you haven’t yet read Heinlein’s novel yet, do. And share if you, too, like a Martian, feel at times like a stranger in a strange land.
Course of Mirrors 