However, he does make statements that are
relevant to this blog. Some of what he says is independent confirmation of
various points, theories and insights.
I have found a few more good quotations to add to the ones already posted.
Life in a hostile, alien world
“There is one kind of prison where the man is
behind bars, and everything that he desires is outside; and there is another
kind where the things are behind the bars, and the man is outside.”
From The Jungle
Very true, and some people experience both kinds of prison simultaneously! They are both imprisoned in a life that they hate but can’t escape from and excluded from the life that they want. They are doubly desperate because they are both trapped and debarred. It may seem to them that some locked and barred No Exit doors are detaining them in hell while impassable No Entry doors are preventing them from getting into heaven.
“It appeared as if the whole world was one
elaborate system, opposed to justice and kindness, and set to making cruelty
and pain.”
From Oil!
This may sound paranoid, but we could be forgiven for thinking that the whole world is one big prison with torture thrown in.
It reminds me of the conspiracy theory that the human race is the property of evil unseen entities. This world is one big battery farm and we are just cattle to these invisible puppet-masters. They see us as a source of food and fuel; they harvest our negative emotions and do everything they can to get a maximum yield. They keep us enslaved with fear and pain, and it really does seem that an elaborate system has been set up to sabotage our lives and stop us escaping from captivity.
Surviving in a hostile, alien world
“Do not let other people invade your personality. Remember that every human being is a unique phenomenon, and worth developing. You will meet many who have no resources of their own, and who will try to fasten themselves upon you. You will find others eager to tell you what to do and think and be. But it is better to go apart and learn to be yourself.”
From World’s End
I don’t believe that every human being is unique and worth developing, but the rest is spot on. Many people are not on the level. Energy vampires will try to latch on, and exploiters and saboteurs will want to control or distract us. Our best survival strategy is indeed to avoid victimisers, go apart, operate as individuals and learn to think for ourselves.
“Play your music, read your books, think your own thoughts, and never let yourselves be drawn into an argument! Not an altogether satisfactory way of life, but the only one possible in times when the world is changing so fast that parents and children may be a thousand years apart in their ideas and ideals.”
From Dragon’s Teeth
I do all that, and Internet research in addition. I agree that a restricted life is not altogether satisfactory, but living in a quiet, detached, self-sufficient and very private way is probably the best option for anyone who is appalled by many features of the modern world and the attitudes and behaviour of people who have openly adopted 'Hollywood values'.
Dragon’s Teeth was written in 1942; Upton Sinclair hadn’t seen anything yet! He died in 1968, so missed some of the worst developments.
Thriving in a hostile and alien world
“Since his life had been caught up into the
current of this great stream, things which had before been the whole of life to
him came to seem of relatively slight importance; his interests were elsewhere,
in the world of ideas. His outward life was commonplace and uninteresting; he
was just a hotel-porter, and expected to remain one while he lived; but
meantime, in the realm of thought, his life was a perpetual adventure. There
was so much to know—so many wonders to be discovered!”
From The Jungle
It is very true that many worldly things lose their attraction after we discover the wonders of the world of ideas and the inner world in general. There is just as much excitement, adventure, challenge and danger to be found on other dimensions as there is in the outer world.
Keeping a low profile and living at least partly off-grid seems sensible, and
there are more reasons for doing so than loss of interest in self promotion and
climbing the corporate career ladder. C. S. Lewis said that this world is
enemy-occupied territory, which means that people who want to change things for
the better must behave like resistance agents in a hostile country and not draw
attention to themselves.
Upton Sinclair’s ideas and recommendations
may help us to bypass the bars, escape from prison and gain entry to the magical
places of our dreams.
