Parable of the Sower came to me at a time when I was emotionally at my lowest, numbing myself to the realities of mortality and adulthood.
I immediately connected with Lauren Olamina—her hyperempathy, her grit, her determination, her passion, her love (and, of course, her oldest-sister antics). In a world literally burning around her, she has no choice but to connect with others emotionally, whether she wants to or not. In a reality where rape, murder, and evil are the norm, she is rendered incapable of physically defending herself the way most people can. And yet, instead of succumbing to despair, she transforms what others might see as a weakness into her greatest strength. She makes her "vulnerability" her superpower.
I used to pride myself on suppressing my emotions—being upset without exploding, annoyed without lashing out, able to smile through frustration. I could watch my grandmother die and not shed a tear because I knew it would have upset her to see me cry. But Lauren and Octavia taught me that there is immense power in feeling. Without her hyperempathy, I don’t believe Lauren would have survived. And how can I say I'm an actor, writer, creative living in fear of feeling? What kind of work would I create?
This book changed my life, especially in how I view change itself. As a Scorpio and a fixed sign, change (especially the kind outside my control) has always been terrifying. But that is life. My favorite quote from the book is about Change. Change is how we know we’re still alive. Change is the only thing we can rely on. The only true constant in this life is that nothing stays the same. I imagine how much I would complain if I lived the same day everyday i.e. Russian Doll. New people are born every day. People die every day. That is Change. And even God, the ultimate constant, is Change.
Octavia Butler didn’t just write science fiction, she predicted the world we’re living in now. A world on fire. A world at war. A wannabe tyrant in office, promising to return America to some undefined "greatness."
Thank you, Octavia, for your work. For Parable. For Earthseed. For Lauren. For your gift. I promise to pursue everything I do, everything I love, with intensity, with passion—to only do things that make me feel and that make others feel.