............ Al Jolson, The Jazz Singer
Most humans cannot grasp huge concepts; the size of the universe, the number of people on the planet, the speed of light. Humans are self-centered creatures, wired for permanence, but incredibly fragile.
I spent an hour this morning looking through YouTube at videos of micro to macro views of the cosmos and quarks, and I recommend you do the same when you have time to play. There is one particular clip I remember seeing when I was in HS that I cannot find yet. It started as a view through an electron microscope at quarks (maybe it wasn’t quarks; now that I think about it, quarks may be too small for that 1967 technology. Let’s move on saying they must have started by viewing stuff bigger than quarks).
OK, back to what I actually do remember about this clip we saw in science class. It started as a microscopic view of cell structure and began pulling back through the microscope to see neutrons, protons, atoms, then through the larger parts of a human cell until it reaches the surface of the skin. As the video continues to pull back, it views the arm, the whole person it belongs to, the room he is in, his house, his neighborhood and eventually all the way back into space viewing the entire planet Earth. The camera then flips to viewing space through ever more powerful telescopes, the solar systems and beyond.
The one thing that sticks in mind about these images is that at one point in the microscope the atomic size particles look exactly like the telescopic view of a solar system. For all you scientists out there who know this is absolutely incorrect, keep it too yourself. My point is there is much that we are made of that looks exactly like the universe we live in. And that is remarkable to me.
Being startled, amazed, and awakened to new information is a major part of what keeps me going. And recently I have been going good. A chance to write more, express, share ideas with new friends, has been a transfusion of life juice. Yes, there are some givens that I accept and appreciate being exposed to, that keep me sane and help me get through this maze of life that I have to navigate with all these other 7 billion humans. (The truth that "the only constant in life is change" comes to mind).
Certainly I have been happiest when I have lived in rural environs. Frenchtown, NJ in 1979 was rural farm country. Sedona, AZ in 1982 was a small town going through the process of realizing its population might explode. South Whidbey Island, WA is still a wonderful paradise of rural Earth. Borrego Springs, San Diego County, California is an incredibly vibrant small desert town with less than 3,000 permanent peoples. Oh, do I long for living in these places in their (and my) prime. The interesting key element of this joy was that these small places contained more people I could relate to then any suburban or quasi-urban environment I have lived in.
I saw a piece on CBS Sunday Morning today that confirmed why I have longed for something different.
CBS reports: "Consider this: Today, worldwide, more than half of us live in cities. By 2050, the United Nations projects nearly 75% of us will."
And then 5 minutes later I heard a more disheartening reality:
"Today, about 250 million Americans choose to live in or around urban areas. That means more than three-quarters of our population shares just about three percent of our land area."
The lesson for me today is that I am not like those 250 million people, nor will I be part of that 75%. The words spoken by Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame come to mind: "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"
The sad truth for humans is that continuing to follow this path will lead to a world jammed with those poor suckers and they will one day have a revelation similar to Charleton Heston in Solent Green: "Soylent Green is people!"
The underlying theme of this piece was so nicely put by Tim, with his keen observation "that most people are starving, not for food, but for something more on a human level" This seems ever present in the mind of Xoq. Between Xoq's truth that most people cannot grasp the big picture, mixed in with Xoq's observation that there are a lack of smiles and simple hellos in big city elevators, and the point Xoq makes that in a potential future, corporate greed manufacturers so much pollution that the only food source left are the poor souls who don't have access to enough nourishment to survive, lies the most basic of human fears; no control. When the masses gain enough awareness to accept their mortality, embrace the awesome-ness of creation as the magic of the universe, and stop giving over their souls to religious manipulation and false advertising of corporations, it seems Xoq might relax and feel this is home.
ReplyDeleteHi Robby, What a timely piece! I've been watching the Great Courses series, "Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe" taught by a jolly brilliant Englishman, Mark Whittle. It's 18 hours of pure joy for those who love the 'Big Picture'. I also just watched recently The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson, noting his amazing JOY in his entertaining. Yeah, We Ain't heard NOTHIN' yet!
ReplyDeleteWhile understanding your basic points, I take issue with the emphasis placed on rural versus urban environments. Granted, I have lived in New York City for 30 years and hope to die here. My daughter was raised here, and her birthday parties looked like the Rainbow Coalition. The ethnic and religious diversity teaches you that there are people you will like, and those you might not, in every color and faith. New York City is a mass of small towns to the people who actually live here. Your grocer, dry cleaner, druggist all know you by name. You get smiles and greetings on the street all the time from fellow neighborhood people. It was not that your small communities "contained" more people that you could relate to; simply that it was small enough that you met them all. The implication seems to be that urban people are somehow lacking. I do not believe this to be the case.
ReplyDeleteAs for the reference to city elevators, I take this to mean office buildings. These elevators are 90% occupied by people who commute to the City for work. They do not live there. I know in my apartment building, many of the tenants know each other, and there is lively conversation, not just greetings, in the elevator. In closing, I think you will find what you actively seek out from people, wherever
that search might take place.
Jud,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. A healthy dialogue is the reason I created my blogs. It is frustrating that more people won.t join in.
Our experience is very different and it shapes our thoughts and opinions. My Dad has lived in Manhattan for 80 of his 90 years and he has always complained about the rude, crude, self centeredness of the peoples in his neighborhoods.Not the shop keepers who are trying to earn a buck. I am so glad you have found parts of town that you have enjoyed and that nurtured your family.
In small town america I have had aussie scottish, asian, russian, mexican, african, and south american friends. There are many colors in the rainbow beyond roy.g.biv.
Lets keep communication alive. To paraphrase Tim, I am starving, not for food, but for something more on a human level.
Robby
G- Serendipitous as always. When you have time, watch a series of videos on YouTube from RSA start with this one and then look on the right side of the page for 5 or 6 more great lectures.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g&feature=relmfu