02535cam a22003853u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000200011324500220013326400510015530000470020633600260025333700260027933800360030549000520034150000310039350800960042452012710052053400660179165300200185765300180187765300260189565300380192165300350195970000410199483000520203585600430208799900190213069148UtSlPG20260610134611.0mcr n260607r20221942utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aGilbert, Joseph14aThe eternal quest 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2022  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Astonishing Stories, October 1942  aRelease date is 2022-10-13  aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Eternal Quest" by Joseph Gilbert is a science fiction novelette written in the early 1940s. The story explores the themes of hope and the search for meaning in a future where humanity has become spiritually and creatively stagnant due to the overwhelming dominance of machines. The narrative intertwines elements of space exploration with psychological and philosophical inquiries about the human condition, highlighting the struggle to reclaim purpose in a technologically advanced yet emotionally barren society.  In this tale, a diminutive yet charismatic figure emerges to inspire a world depleted of hope, claiming to have discovered a new civilization that could revitalize humanity. The protagonist, Robert Lawrence, embarks on a journey to Mars that deepens his understanding of the emptiness bred by technology. He encounters a dying being who, in a tragic twist, reveals that his own quest for escape led to despair, mirroring the futility faced by mankind. In the end, Lawrence learns of the quiet, sorrowful existence shared by those who seek fulfillment and the profound sadness of unrealized dreams, culminating in a poignant commentary on the eternal quest for meaning amidst an indifferent universe. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  pOriginally published:cUnited States: Fictioneers, Inc., 1942  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aPsychological fiction  aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction  aInterstellar travel -- Fiction1 aStevens, Lawrence Sterne,d1886-1960 0aProduced from Astonishing Stories, October 194240uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69148  c109944d109944