Stranger In a Strange Land

by Robert A. Heinlein

I read this book on recommendation of the "sons of Murphy" Murphys. This was after an exchange of left right blah blah. The book is typical sci-fi taking place some time in the future. It has it's sci-fi macho overtones of which would turn the average woman off. The storyline is about this "Man From Mars" back here on Earth working through the differences of the two cultures. The primary categories of social topics are religion, sexuality, brotherly love, and money. Aside from Mike {the Man From Mars} other leading characters are Jubal and Gill. Jubal is your classic old time lawyer who’s is well connected, well off and, knows everything. 

 He plays a very macho role towards his mostly women servants. Gill is the nurse who rescues the Man From Mars from government captivity and brings him to Jubal, where they begin his earth training. After some time Gil and Mike leave the security of Jubals house to learn first hand about he real world. They encounter secular religious groups and Mike learns about God. They encounter Patty the tattoo lady in a carnival and learn about people. They go to Vegas where Gill learns about sexuality. She realizes that there is a difference between men and women and she learned to appreciate men gawking at her nudity while stripping on stage. They end up in a LA hotel whereby MIKE has learned all differences he can between the two societies and becomes in essence a second coming. 

 He uses his Martian mind power to perform miracles and draws a following of thousands to learn his values. Sex is part of the fabric of this new movement whereby sharing water meant growing close and having sex, with whomever and whenever, wherever and with as many at one time as seamed appropriate. All the converts learned Martian, so that they could think in Martian. They learn patience and waiting for fullness before they act on circumstance. Money was not important to them because they had plenty. Since they placed no value on money nobody stole it. 

 The outside world at large were enraged by this radical secular movement. Eventually Mike meets his end in the same way Christ did. In the end Jubal and Mike discuss the mistake Mike made. On Mars, people who were not capable of sustaining lifes important values were weeded out in the very beginning of life. Nine of ten died shortly after birth. This left a supreme society that did not compete against each other. On earth everybody survives life's early lesson and thus we spend the rest of life competing against each other in a VALUES system. Thus Mike met is end by choice. 

 Values: the reason I read the books. Religion: The author advocates an acceptance of all faiths. This is a value promoted by Unity a church I belong to. The idea that God resides within each of us and we are all expressing God makes sense. Expressing love to one another by sharing water and sex is a reach beyond the norm. Sex: The author advocates that women and their bodies are beautiful and that women indeed like to be looked at. Free love where  often sex really complicates the point. Social Interaction: The book looks at day to day manipulation of people the same way a carnie works a crowd for money and then compares it to placing no value on money. The difference equates to people loving each other first. Overall the book skims the very top of social issues. It proposes bizarre solutions and then in the end realizes those solutions are far more complicated and conflict with their hypothesis. On Mars people are not born equal. On Earth they are.