Strip it of the prose, the depth even, down to it's basic core. What is left is the dot, the realization we are not that big here, we are microscopic. Next comes the fact that it 'is' the only place we know of that human life has taken place. The lives that have run the course from the first to the present despite the range of peace and brutality simply indicate our need to make change. We need to change as a species. In the thousands of years of human history we still have the same things going on, fighting and killing each other; its almost all we've ever really learned and learned well. We started throwing rocks and fighting with sticks; now we're setting off bombs for more efficient mass killing. Much could be said about the cooperation of a dozen mixed culture people on a deserted island with limited resources. But globally we don't think that way because we have all established our own islands and resources, dislike and distrust the presence of intruders and worse have a drive to attain others islands and resources in order to create empires. If it is depressing it is not on account of Sagan's presentation as other presentations point to the same scenario. We could simply watch world news and see it for ourselves; we could put together our own presentation. Fact is we are here, consciously and aware and share a physicality and that is why we 'bother at all'. The moments of joy are what make life worth living, especially those prolonged moments and long periods of extended happiness that many of us experience. If only there were a synchronicity element to life where all of humanity simultaneously, absorbed the essence and came to the same conclusion after reading the presentation. Don't forget, regardless of your gloom and somber reflection you did 'bother' up until now. You can bother to reply if you want; I'll be less joyful if you don't and others might wonder why you didn't. Think about it.
On Sep 24, 7:20 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > At first, I admired his prose/argument but then found it depressing. > Why bother at all? > > On Sep 23, 7:36 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Oops! Try again: > > > Rigsy, I must inject this piece of what think is pertinent to a > > portion of our interaction, if not of the whole. > > Only because we all find so much significance to this world, > > to this life when in all actuality it is so much the opposite. This is > > from a speech Carl Sagan made at Cornell University on Oct. 13, 1994 > > based on a photo from Voyager I in 1990 and also the title of Sagan's > > 1994 book. "Pale Blue Dot". > > > Carl Sagan: > > From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of > > particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that > > dot. That's here, that's home, that's us. On it everyone you love, > > everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who > > ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and > > suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic > > doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every > > creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every > > young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor > > and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every > > "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the > > history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a > > sunbeam. > > > The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the > > rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in > > glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a > > fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the > > inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely > > distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their > > misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent > > their hatreds. > > > Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we > > have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this > > point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great > > enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there > > is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from > > ourselves. > > > The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is > > nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could > > migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment > > the Earth is where we make our stand. > > > It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building > > experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of > > human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it > > underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, > > and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've > > ever known. > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > But truthfully Rids, this photo, for me, has an enormous impact on the > > consciousness. To imagine that all of this is taking place on a spec > > of dust in the universe. > > >http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123614938 > > > Of course it begs the question "why?" > > > It is ultimately a study in consciousness. IMHO (take out the humble > > part) LOL
