have no fear
Recently I've been giving Doctor Who* credit for my atheism, when it might in fact have been a comic book character I completely forgot about--until spotting this article on that other Doctor entirely, the Man of Bronze.
I read Doc Savage when I was younger, but my memories of him had very nearly submerged forever. Certain philosophies and lessons must've stuck, though. From Wikipedia:
A keynote of Doc's adventures is that no matter how fantastic the monster or menace, there was always a rational scientific explanation at the end. A giant mountain-walking spider was revealed as a blimp, a scorching death came from super-charged electric batteries, a "sea angel" was a mechanical construct towed behind a submarine, Navy ships sunk by a mysterious compelling force were actually sabotaged, and so on.Awesome! And I love his oath:
Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.I'd change "of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates" to "of my fellow humans" to avoid a slight nationalistic tone. Still, words we could all live by.
I'd use this as argument that comic books and TV can be good for you, but some might disagree.
* I used to credit Robert Anton Wilson and Frank Zappa with this, but Who definitely came before them.
I read Doc Savage when I was younger, but my memories of him had very nearly submerged forever. Certain philosophies and lessons must've stuck, though. From Wikipedia:
A keynote of Doc's adventures is that no matter how fantastic the monster or menace, there was always a rational scientific explanation at the end. A giant mountain-walking spider was revealed as a blimp, a scorching death came from super-charged electric batteries, a "sea angel" was a mechanical construct towed behind a submarine, Navy ships sunk by a mysterious compelling force were actually sabotaged, and so on.Awesome! And I love his oath:
Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.I'd change "of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates" to "of my fellow humans" to avoid a slight nationalistic tone. Still, words we could all live by.
I'd use this as argument that comic books and TV can be good for you, but some might disagree.
* I used to credit Robert Anton Wilson and Frank Zappa with this, but Who definitely came before them.