# _Growing Up Weightless_ by John M Ford #book-report some annotations I took that spoke to me: > To make matter out of sterile theory: was that not the purpose of God? This resonated with some recent thoughts about building ephemeral works (search private vault for "the making of temporary structures"). And this book also had a few passages about what it called "baudrillation" which I think is a form of catastrophism about a post-scarcity society falling apart because the people lose desire. Something like "when one starves not for lack of bread but because bread is no longer in fashion". Desires are dangerous things, but even more dangerous is having no desire. I suppose I've lived something of that, having had major bouts of depression. > it's better to journey hopefully than to arrive Again, once you lose desire (run out of road), there is nothing any more (no experience). Keep a road ahead of you and there will always be a journey to undertake. Not all dreams can come true (because if they all do, what will be left to dream and do?) > "We want you to be happy. But you have to know that happiness is a made thing. You have to ... pursue it, as the Charter says. And you must, _must_, make it for other people, to have any for yourself." Perhaps inspiring desire in others is a great gift. Maybe the ability to do that is a very important skill for anyone in a community.