Organized religion, apparently the most loving of all things, marked Salman Rushdie for assassination for publishing such truths as this:
Star light, star bright . . . we look up and we hope the stars look down, we pray that there may be stars for us to follow, stars moving across the heavens and leading up to our destiny, but it’s only our vanity. We look at the galaxy and fall in love, but the universe cares less about us than we do about it, and the stars stay in their courses however much we may wish upon them to do otherwise. It’s true that if you watch the sky-wheel turn for a while you’ll see a meteor fall, flame and die. That’s not a star worth following; it’s just an unlucky rock. Our fates are here on earth. There are no guiding stars.
(Quoted from page 62 of The Moor’s Last Sigh, by Salman Rushdie. Vintage Books, 1995.)
For a brief biography of Salman Rushdie, click here. For images of or relating to Salman Rushdie, click here.
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