The Sword and Laser discussion

I'm about halfway through now, and so far I like that Earthseed seems to be a pretty down-to-earth philosophy / religion. There is definitely the idea (in some philosophy and religion as well as fantasy fiction) that daily life is a hindrance to discerning truth. Specifically, I thought about Bran in Game of Thrones - his character suffers partial paralysis which removes him almost completely from his old life and seems to facilitate him receiving visions, etc. In a world as gritty as Westeros this seemed funny to me. In PotS, a similarly gritty world, I like that the truth Lauren pursues is more practical. It just seems to fit better.

Is it like a good self-help book?

Tamahome wrote: "Is it like a good self-help book?"

I don't read self-help, but I would guess that the best ones are grounded and don't allow you to ignore stuff in front of you - so maybe there's a connection there.

What I'm saying is that in "good times" perhaps stepping out of your daily cares is good - you don't need to have a philosophy based on getting the laundry done. But in "bad times" telling people that their hunger, poverty, or homelessness isn't really what's important seems disrespectful, it's a little "let them eat cake." I just like the Earthseed approach.