So it goes

Genius is often not appropriately appreciated in its own time. \nI feel like this applies pretty well to the life of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nVonnegut died last Wednesday from brain injuries suffered in a fall in his Manhattan home several weeks ago. \nIn case you are not previously aware of Vonnegut, he was a writer, novelist and humorist. His work was mostly science fiction, but it concentrated more on humanity than technology. His works included novels such as “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Breakfast of Champions” and “Cat’s Cradle,” as well as essay collections such as his final book, “A Man Without a Country.” He was known for his outspoken political and social beliefs, including his opposition to the Vietnam and Iraq wars.\nIn the wake of Vonnegut’s death, there has been a moderate amount of coverage and discussion of his life and his passing. Facebook groups have popped up, newspaper articles have been written and some tears have been shed.\nHowever, it seems that the only reason Vonnegut has even been mentioned recently is because of his passing. Until this past week, he was rarely mentioned, and I suspect that will be the case again soon enough.\nFirst, I would like to ask why Vonnegut has been mostly ignored (except by a rabid but relatively small group of fans)? Why have so many people seemingly completely missed his genius?\nAs a fan of Vonnegut’s work – and a fan of him as a person – I’m incredibly saddened by his death. But the loss of Vonnegut is traumatic on another level: It seems like now is the time when we need him most.\nKurt Vonnegut was a veteran of World War II. He was captured by German troops at the Battle of the Bulge and was present during the Allied firebombing of Dresden. He experienced firsthand the horrors of war, which led to his stances on Vietnam and Iraq later in life. He is much more qualified than many (like our last couple of presidents) to talk about war.\nVonnegut was always good at using irony and dark humor to point out what’s wrong in the world, and there are many things wrong. He was never afraid to say what he thought, no matter how angry it might make people. He was also usually right.\nWith the death of Vonnegut, it seems like we’ve lost our moral compass. It feels like the last person who actually understood life and the world has died, and now we’re all stuck wandering around blathering about Anna Nicole Smith. We’ve lost our wise man, our Mark Twain, our Ben Franklin, our Socrates. And few seem to know or care.\nIn “Slaughterhouse-Five,” he uses a phrase – “So it goes” – to denote death. So goes the way of the world, filled with misery and occasional laughter. Kurt Vonnegut was one of the few who could see the misery of the world and use laughter to make it hurt a little less.\nSo it goes.