"The Lorax said nothing. Just gave me a glance...just gave me very sad, sad backward glance as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants. And I'll never forget the grim look on his face when he heisted himself and took leave of his place, through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace."
I wish that I could, or that someone or something could, lift me away by the seat of my pants. Up, up, up through a hole in the clouds and back to a more comfortable place. But there are no clouds. Just the endless blue of the ozone and the heat. The thick enveloping heat. The asphalt and concrete absorbs it and spits it back it. I do not like the feeling of my feet burning through my shoes as I walk step by step across the city.
I thought I was happy but I suppose that I had deceived myself. I thought I finally knew what it was like to say with confidence and assurance that I was indeed happy. Maybe I was. But I lately I found myself teetering on the edge and then suddenly at the drop of a hat, I went plummeting down, down, down. That little pink pill is ineffective now, I guess.
I thought I was strong enough. I was deceived. I feared this place, hidden deep in my cerebral cortex. How could I have been so foolish to think that I could make it? That I was strong enough to move to a place so different and so far from everything I knew. I wasn't strong enough.
I wish I was different. I wish I was prettier, slimmer, wittier, funnier, charming, never socially awkward. I wish I was cool and normal. I wish I was not exceptionally loquacious. I wish I was less intelligent; then perhaps I would not have the capacity to ponder questions such as the origin of the Universe. I wish I was less sensitive, less emotional, and less timid. I wish I had the power to become invisible. I could just disappear at the blink of an eye and hide in plain sight.
I wish I was not me.
I left the office in tears. They poured down my freckled cheeks. Luckily there was no one around to notice.
I don't know anymore what it's for
I'm not even sure
If there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
'Cause I been caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you're not even sure what it's for
Any more than me
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Dreams, death, and the short version of me as an atheist
I am lucky (or cursed) enough to remember, in vivid detail, the dreams I have immediately before I wake. Sometimes I wake up with my heart racing in a sweat around 3 AM in the middle of a horrific dream or I awaken around 8 AM (the time I usually rise from bed) from a colorful and bizarre dream. Until now, I rarely have reoccurring dreams. I once had dream a few times about a badger biting my ankles and I occasionally dream about my brother's pending nuptials. Ever since I moved to TX, I have the same dream nearly every time I sleep. I dream that I am back in MN for some untold reason and I have to drive all the way back to TX. I see people that I left behind and explain to them that I moved to TX and it is understood that I have to journey back. I am filled with anxiety and dread about driving 1200 miles.
"The drive is over," I reassure myself upon waking, "you are here in TX now, after months of anticipation. You are all moved in to your apartment. You have been here for over a month now. It's all over."
I wish I knew why this dream keeps plaguing me. I also dream about extraterrestrials, space travel, running from an unseen danger, worm holes, Maxine, my dead grandfather, poisonous beverages, and mysterious forces plotting destruction of the planet. Maybe I should lay off reading Carl Sagan?
Speaking of Maxine and my grandfather, mortality is sobering. I miss the ones I have lost to the inevitable more than I can express in words. I long for my deceased pet rats, Moo and Maxine. I can see images of them scampering across the floor in my mind's eye. I remember chirping "Maxine, Maxine, come here baby!" and looking down to see my faithful friend standing at my feet. I wish my grandparents were still alive. I wish they could see me now, all grown up. What would they think? Would they be pleased with how I turned out? Would they be proud? Would my grandpa and I spend hours arguing about politics? He was a fan of Rush Limbaugh. Would my grandmother be appalled that I am an atheist? I wish I remembered more about them, especially my grandmother. She died when I was only four and my grandfather when I was thirteen.
I understand why the idea of Heaven and an all-loving being watching over us, guiding us is appealing. Like everyone else, I long to see the dead again. I wish they were here with me. How much I would like to hug my grandmother, to show her the woman I have become!
Death is unpleasant. The idea that all living things will at some point cease to exist and be lost to us really, really sucks. I get it, I do. I can sympathize with the pain. I know what is like to wish, to hope with everything that you have that someday, somewhere, we will be reunited with those who have expired.
BUT, the Universe does not act according to our desires. Just because something is unpleasant, such as the idea of entering a dreamless, endless sleep upon dying, does not mean that is untrue.
Mortality is sobering and humbling, but I am personally not afraid of death. I have come to terms with my own brevity and I am no longer scared. When I was a Christian, I was always afraid.
"Am I sinning? Am I going to Hell? How do I know if I am good enough for Heaven?" I often thought. No one, it seemed, could comfort me. No one could give me an answer. No could tell me if I was living correctly. I spent hours contemplating the idea of eternity as a teenager. I thought about the alternatives. Spending an eternity in a hot, torturous place or living FOREVER in some paradise. To be honest, neither sounded appealing. I didn't want to live forever anywhere, even if it was a paradise. The thought of no release terrified me. I thought about it constantly. In school, at home, at dance class, at cheerleading practice. It plagued me. My religious faith began to unravel. The more I thought about the tenets of Christianity, the more my faith eroded.
One day in English class when I was in 11th grade, we were reading various creation stories from around the globe. At this point in time, I had never really thought about where the Universe and Earth came from. However, the idea that it was sitting on a turtle's back was ridiculous. I had understood that the myths we read were exactly that, myths. The last tale we read was Genesis. All of a sudden, a very important realization hit me like a bus.
"This is just as ridiculous as all of the other myths!"
The journey towards atheism for me started right there in English class. A teenage girl who at that time, had little knowledge about evolution, science, cosmology, and the scale of the Universe began thinking about what life really means and where we come from. I do not claim to have all of the answers. Why would I? After all, I am just an animal in a brief existence on a spinning rock.
"The drive is over," I reassure myself upon waking, "you are here in TX now, after months of anticipation. You are all moved in to your apartment. You have been here for over a month now. It's all over."
I wish I knew why this dream keeps plaguing me. I also dream about extraterrestrials, space travel, running from an unseen danger, worm holes, Maxine, my dead grandfather, poisonous beverages, and mysterious forces plotting destruction of the planet. Maybe I should lay off reading Carl Sagan?
Speaking of Maxine and my grandfather, mortality is sobering. I miss the ones I have lost to the inevitable more than I can express in words. I long for my deceased pet rats, Moo and Maxine. I can see images of them scampering across the floor in my mind's eye. I remember chirping "Maxine, Maxine, come here baby!" and looking down to see my faithful friend standing at my feet. I wish my grandparents were still alive. I wish they could see me now, all grown up. What would they think? Would they be pleased with how I turned out? Would they be proud? Would my grandpa and I spend hours arguing about politics? He was a fan of Rush Limbaugh. Would my grandmother be appalled that I am an atheist? I wish I remembered more about them, especially my grandmother. She died when I was only four and my grandfather when I was thirteen.
I understand why the idea of Heaven and an all-loving being watching over us, guiding us is appealing. Like everyone else, I long to see the dead again. I wish they were here with me. How much I would like to hug my grandmother, to show her the woman I have become!
Death is unpleasant. The idea that all living things will at some point cease to exist and be lost to us really, really sucks. I get it, I do. I can sympathize with the pain. I know what is like to wish, to hope with everything that you have that someday, somewhere, we will be reunited with those who have expired.
BUT, the Universe does not act according to our desires. Just because something is unpleasant, such as the idea of entering a dreamless, endless sleep upon dying, does not mean that is untrue.
Mortality is sobering and humbling, but I am personally not afraid of death. I have come to terms with my own brevity and I am no longer scared. When I was a Christian, I was always afraid.
"Am I sinning? Am I going to Hell? How do I know if I am good enough for Heaven?" I often thought. No one, it seemed, could comfort me. No one could give me an answer. No could tell me if I was living correctly. I spent hours contemplating the idea of eternity as a teenager. I thought about the alternatives. Spending an eternity in a hot, torturous place or living FOREVER in some paradise. To be honest, neither sounded appealing. I didn't want to live forever anywhere, even if it was a paradise. The thought of no release terrified me. I thought about it constantly. In school, at home, at dance class, at cheerleading practice. It plagued me. My religious faith began to unravel. The more I thought about the tenets of Christianity, the more my faith eroded.
One day in English class when I was in 11th grade, we were reading various creation stories from around the globe. At this point in time, I had never really thought about where the Universe and Earth came from. However, the idea that it was sitting on a turtle's back was ridiculous. I had understood that the myths we read were exactly that, myths. The last tale we read was Genesis. All of a sudden, a very important realization hit me like a bus.
"This is just as ridiculous as all of the other myths!"
The journey towards atheism for me started right there in English class. A teenage girl who at that time, had little knowledge about evolution, science, cosmology, and the scale of the Universe began thinking about what life really means and where we come from. I do not claim to have all of the answers. Why would I? After all, I am just an animal in a brief existence on a spinning rock.
Friday, August 6, 2010
A Story About a Father and a Daughter
It was early January of 2005. I was a senior in high school and held a winter job of outdoor ice rink attendant. It was a low-paying position, but I could do my homework and I often had friends visit. During one shift in the bitter cold of a Minnesota January while battling a case of the common cold, my dad tried to cheer me up by informing me that I may be going on a trip soon. Hawai'i, to be exact. I grew up listening to the enchanting tales of my dad's childhood that he spent in Oahu. I impatiently waited for my grandparents to return from their annual late winter vacation from Hawai'i so I could hear stories and receive exotic gifts. I had always dreamed of going to Hawai'i.
Not long after my dad first mentioned the possibility of a seventeen year old's dream vacation, he informed me that he booked my airline ticket and in mid-February, I would be off to stay with my grandparents for a week in Kailua, Oahu. The five week wait was tortuous but filled with overwhelming optimism and excitement. The trip came with its share of anxiety, however, because it required me to fly by myself all the way to Hawai'i. I had only been a on plane a handful of times and never alone. When I informed my parents that I was nervous and I needed guidance, they just told me that everything will be fine and that I would figure out the airport.
"But I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!!!!! You need to tell me what is going to happen! Are you going to go into the airport with me?" were frequent comments over dinner in the weeks before the trip.
"You'll be fine. Airports are easy. Yes, I'll drop you off and make sure you check in," were typical responses from my parents.
As the time came closer, some peculiar things happened. I was at my dad's store and one of his employees asked, "Are you excited? When do you guys leave?"
"Yes I am. But it's just me that's going. I am meeting my grandparents there. They are arriving in Hawai'i a week before me," I responded.
About a week before I left, I was talking to my grandpa over the phone and he told me that he would be picking us up. I replied with, "Grandpa, it's just me!"
I started to think, "Is my dad coming with?? He hasn't mentioned anything about him going, just me. He would have told me. Maybe grandpa was just confused... That would be great if dad came, but I don't think he is."
The weekend before I left, I had lunch with my dad's sister, Auntie Sis (Susan).
"Be sure to have your dad take you to a luau!" she said.
"What?" was my response.
"I mean my dad, your grandpa. Sorry, I was thinking MY dad," she replied.
When the departure day arrived, my father picked me up with his neighbor, Dan, in tow. I said goodbye to my mother and I climbed in the backseat to venture to the airport.
"Erin, grandma and grandpa need you to bring an extra suitcase with you. So you'll have to check two because they need more space when they come home. Dan is going to drive around and check out a construction site while I check you in, ok?" my dad informed me.
We walked into the airport and my dad told me to stand back while we checked me in. I gave him my ID and the suitcases so he could get my boarding pass and check my luggage. Anxiety and excitement filled me. After my dad checked me in and after my inspection of how security works, I gained some confidence and informed my father that he could go now, I would be alright. He turned to me, smiled and said, "well, I'm going with you!"
A mountain of joy arose inside of me. That was one of the happiest moments of life. I could not stop smiling the whole plane ride from Minneapolis to Honolulu. I couldn't believe through all of the slip-ups and wishful thinking, that my dad was actually accompanying me to Hawai'i. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
The week in Hawai'i was magical and fantastic. It was filled with hours at the beach, a trip to the North Shore of Oahu, a day at Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, wonderful dinners out, snorkeling, and body surfing. On the last day right before we were to head back to the airport, my dad and I walked along the beach. He gave me a hug and told me he loved me. I replied with "I love you, too dad," and a few tears rolled down my sun-stained cheeks.
My dad and I have had some wonderful adventures together including a road trip to watch the Gophers play football and a few trips to Northern Minnesota, but this is my most cherished memory.
How did I get so lucky?
I love you, dad.
Not long after my dad first mentioned the possibility of a seventeen year old's dream vacation, he informed me that he booked my airline ticket and in mid-February, I would be off to stay with my grandparents for a week in Kailua, Oahu. The five week wait was tortuous but filled with overwhelming optimism and excitement. The trip came with its share of anxiety, however, because it required me to fly by myself all the way to Hawai'i. I had only been a on plane a handful of times and never alone. When I informed my parents that I was nervous and I needed guidance, they just told me that everything will be fine and that I would figure out the airport.
"But I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!!!!! You need to tell me what is going to happen! Are you going to go into the airport with me?" were frequent comments over dinner in the weeks before the trip.
"You'll be fine. Airports are easy. Yes, I'll drop you off and make sure you check in," were typical responses from my parents.
As the time came closer, some peculiar things happened. I was at my dad's store and one of his employees asked, "Are you excited? When do you guys leave?"
"Yes I am. But it's just me that's going. I am meeting my grandparents there. They are arriving in Hawai'i a week before me," I responded.
About a week before I left, I was talking to my grandpa over the phone and he told me that he would be picking us up. I replied with, "Grandpa, it's just me!"
I started to think, "Is my dad coming with?? He hasn't mentioned anything about him going, just me. He would have told me. Maybe grandpa was just confused... That would be great if dad came, but I don't think he is."
The weekend before I left, I had lunch with my dad's sister, Auntie Sis (Susan).
"Be sure to have your dad take you to a luau!" she said.
"What?" was my response.
"I mean my dad, your grandpa. Sorry, I was thinking MY dad," she replied.
When the departure day arrived, my father picked me up with his neighbor, Dan, in tow. I said goodbye to my mother and I climbed in the backseat to venture to the airport.
"Erin, grandma and grandpa need you to bring an extra suitcase with you. So you'll have to check two because they need more space when they come home. Dan is going to drive around and check out a construction site while I check you in, ok?" my dad informed me.
We walked into the airport and my dad told me to stand back while we checked me in. I gave him my ID and the suitcases so he could get my boarding pass and check my luggage. Anxiety and excitement filled me. After my dad checked me in and after my inspection of how security works, I gained some confidence and informed my father that he could go now, I would be alright. He turned to me, smiled and said, "well, I'm going with you!"
A mountain of joy arose inside of me. That was one of the happiest moments of life. I could not stop smiling the whole plane ride from Minneapolis to Honolulu. I couldn't believe through all of the slip-ups and wishful thinking, that my dad was actually accompanying me to Hawai'i. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
The week in Hawai'i was magical and fantastic. It was filled with hours at the beach, a trip to the North Shore of Oahu, a day at Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, wonderful dinners out, snorkeling, and body surfing. On the last day right before we were to head back to the airport, my dad and I walked along the beach. He gave me a hug and told me he loved me. I replied with "I love you, too dad," and a few tears rolled down my sun-stained cheeks.
My dad and I have had some wonderful adventures together including a road trip to watch the Gophers play football and a few trips to Northern Minnesota, but this is my most cherished memory.
How did I get so lucky?
I love you, dad.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Reflections
I have lived in TX for over a month now. School commences in just under three weeks and I cannot wait for that time to come. Do not get me wrong, I love having few obligations and the freedom of nearly unlimited leisure time. However, I have grown tired of the summer boredom. I anticipate that I will be singing a different song once I start graduate school and have a million different things to accomplish. The grass is always greener, I suppose.
Lately, I have been sliding, along with Blake, into the homesick trap. We are both thrilled to be here, but we both miss the things we had in MN. We miss our friends, our family, and the temperate climate. I miss the ash trees and the pileated woodpeckers. I miss the sight of the eastern gray squirrels prancing through the grass. I miss the sugar maples and Key's Cafe. I miss the Saint Paul Farmer's Market and the Saint Paul Bagelery. I miss Caribou Coffee and the opportunity to go to my mother's house at any time for any reason.
I feel stressed and bothered lately because there were some misunderstandings about my tuition payments. I have to take out another loan of $1800, which is small but I do not want any more loans to pay back! I have been dropped from my courses temporarily (at least they tell me that it is) until my tuition is adjusted and my TA paperwork goes through. I fear that I will not be able to get back into the courses I want, but Joe tells me not worry.
Distance has the ability to change relationships, for better or for worse. Luckily, I feel that my relationships between many family members, mostly my parents and brothers, has been strengthened. My grandfather called me yesterday. I was so happy to hear from him! I should really call my grandparents more often, or at least get their email addresses.
I have been searching all over this town for TX postcards that I can send to back to MN. Believe it or not, the search has proved futile. I cannot seem to track down something as simple as postcards! It is ridiculous! The zoo gift shop did not even have them! The search continues.
Lately, I have been sliding, along with Blake, into the homesick trap. We are both thrilled to be here, but we both miss the things we had in MN. We miss our friends, our family, and the temperate climate. I miss the ash trees and the pileated woodpeckers. I miss the sight of the eastern gray squirrels prancing through the grass. I miss the sugar maples and Key's Cafe. I miss the Saint Paul Farmer's Market and the Saint Paul Bagelery. I miss Caribou Coffee and the opportunity to go to my mother's house at any time for any reason.
I feel stressed and bothered lately because there were some misunderstandings about my tuition payments. I have to take out another loan of $1800, which is small but I do not want any more loans to pay back! I have been dropped from my courses temporarily (at least they tell me that it is) until my tuition is adjusted and my TA paperwork goes through. I fear that I will not be able to get back into the courses I want, but Joe tells me not worry.
Distance has the ability to change relationships, for better or for worse. Luckily, I feel that my relationships between many family members, mostly my parents and brothers, has been strengthened. My grandfather called me yesterday. I was so happy to hear from him! I should really call my grandparents more often, or at least get their email addresses.
I have been searching all over this town for TX postcards that I can send to back to MN. Believe it or not, the search has proved futile. I cannot seem to track down something as simple as postcards! It is ridiculous! The zoo gift shop did not even have them! The search continues.
Monday, August 2, 2010
A Collection of the Things I Just Cannot Understand
Since this is my blog and the First Amendment of my nation's Constitution protects me, I am going to say what I want to say about a few issues that surface quite frequently in my daily routine.
Speaking of the First Amendment, it really bothers me when fellow Americans accuse liberals of not following the Constitution, then in the next breath they are ranting about the removal of prayers in school or any other act that takes God out of our public life. Hello! Have you ever actually read the Bill of Rights? Praying in schools and placing the Ten Commandments in public is a clear violation of the First Amendment. I often hear arguments that go something like this,
"But God is on our money!! In the pledge, God is mentioned! Our founding fathers founded this nation on Christian principles!"
Have you ever read about our founding fathers or taken a history class? It actually was not until a century AFTER our country came to be that "In God We Trust" first appeared on coins. It was not until 1957 that the phrase appeared on paper currency.
If you conduct research on Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, you will find that they were not interested in combining religion with the government. Go, I'll be here when you get back.
My second common qualm: Biblical literalism
Really? There are people that actually believe that the Bible is literally true and creationism? REALLY?!?!?!?! When I walk through campus to my office in the science building, I pass by a table covered by a white tent with a sign that reads, "Bible Study Group Sign-Up." It is always staffed with young adults ready to answer your questions and welcome you into the world of Jesus. I have thought about joining more than once. Not to discover that the Bible is true and the divine word of God, but to state my case using examples from the Bible that it is fact just a book of fiction, myth, and superstition that was written by primitive men over 2000 years ago. This should be obvious to anyone who actually reads the Bible. Slavery is cool in biblical society, so is the death penalty and rape, among other violent and abhorrent acts that were commonplace 2000 years ago. It is full of contradictions and absolute nonsense. We know that snakes cannot speak, men and women have the same number of ribs, childbirth in human females is especially painful due to a large head of the infant, people cannot live inside whales or fish or any other sea-dwelling creature. The website godisimaginary.com is fabulous for citing other examples of nonsense that occur in the Bible.
The most common rebuttal to my claims is that some of the Bible doesn't apply anymore. What? Hold the phone here, I thought that the Bible was the eternal word of God. But now you say that some of it doesn't apply? How are we supposed to know which parts do and do not apply? Since there is no way of knowing, we must assume that none of it is divine.
I could go on for days about all of the exchanges I experience with people who prefer magic, superstition and faith over reason, logic, and science. Oh, and they love to ignore that pesky stuff called evidence. But, it's always the same. Like Dr. House on TV says, "If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people."
I mentioned creationism earlier, which perhaps the biggest thorn in my side. Creationism is just silly. I said it and I don't really care who I offend. Just look at the evidence! Fossils anyone? How about vestigial structures present in organisms, the appendix or tail bone in humans for example, or comparative vertebrate anatomy? Go look at a photo of a chimpanzee or a gorilla. And, last but certainly not least, modern molecular biology and genetics. We can prove that us humans are related to most life on Earth, including bacteria, fungi, trees, diatoms, cats, rats, lizards, lichen, grass, bonobos, etc.
But, going beyond life on Earth, let's consider the Universe. Most people have looked up at the night sky and perhaps have witness the passing of a shooting star or a satellite, or have had the pleasure to glance through a telescope and peer at other planets. I am also assuming the most people are aware of the presence of the Sun. Now, as can be demonstrated by glancing towards the stars at night, we KNOW that the Earth is not the center of the Universe. In fact, it is a small rock orbiting one star out of billions that exist in the entire Universe.
Humans are just one species that reside on this planet. There are a vast number of organisms that call this little rock home and there have been many others that have lived and gone extinct (remember the aforementioned fossils) throughout the Earth's 4.5 billion year history. How can one species, who live in a blink of time on a tiny rock tucked away in one small solar system in an obscure corner of just one galaxy, be the most important part of the whole universe?
I personally just don't buy it. I don't claim to have all of the answers. I have no idea where the universe came from, where we are headed, what it truly means to be human, and the point of life. But a white-skinned male with a long beard playing puppet with the universe? I don't think so.
Speaking of the First Amendment, it really bothers me when fellow Americans accuse liberals of not following the Constitution, then in the next breath they are ranting about the removal of prayers in school or any other act that takes God out of our public life. Hello! Have you ever actually read the Bill of Rights? Praying in schools and placing the Ten Commandments in public is a clear violation of the First Amendment. I often hear arguments that go something like this,
"But God is on our money!! In the pledge, God is mentioned! Our founding fathers founded this nation on Christian principles!"
Have you ever read about our founding fathers or taken a history class? It actually was not until a century AFTER our country came to be that "In God We Trust" first appeared on coins. It was not until 1957 that the phrase appeared on paper currency.
If you conduct research on Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin, you will find that they were not interested in combining religion with the government. Go, I'll be here when you get back.
My second common qualm: Biblical literalism
Really? There are people that actually believe that the Bible is literally true and creationism? REALLY?!?!?!?! When I walk through campus to my office in the science building, I pass by a table covered by a white tent with a sign that reads, "Bible Study Group Sign-Up." It is always staffed with young adults ready to answer your questions and welcome you into the world of Jesus. I have thought about joining more than once. Not to discover that the Bible is true and the divine word of God, but to state my case using examples from the Bible that it is fact just a book of fiction, myth, and superstition that was written by primitive men over 2000 years ago. This should be obvious to anyone who actually reads the Bible. Slavery is cool in biblical society, so is the death penalty and rape, among other violent and abhorrent acts that were commonplace 2000 years ago. It is full of contradictions and absolute nonsense. We know that snakes cannot speak, men and women have the same number of ribs, childbirth in human females is especially painful due to a large head of the infant, people cannot live inside whales or fish or any other sea-dwelling creature. The website godisimaginary.com is fabulous for citing other examples of nonsense that occur in the Bible.
The most common rebuttal to my claims is that some of the Bible doesn't apply anymore. What? Hold the phone here, I thought that the Bible was the eternal word of God. But now you say that some of it doesn't apply? How are we supposed to know which parts do and do not apply? Since there is no way of knowing, we must assume that none of it is divine.
I could go on for days about all of the exchanges I experience with people who prefer magic, superstition and faith over reason, logic, and science. Oh, and they love to ignore that pesky stuff called evidence. But, it's always the same. Like Dr. House on TV says, "If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people."
I mentioned creationism earlier, which perhaps the biggest thorn in my side. Creationism is just silly. I said it and I don't really care who I offend. Just look at the evidence! Fossils anyone? How about vestigial structures present in organisms, the appendix or tail bone in humans for example, or comparative vertebrate anatomy? Go look at a photo of a chimpanzee or a gorilla. And, last but certainly not least, modern molecular biology and genetics. We can prove that us humans are related to most life on Earth, including bacteria, fungi, trees, diatoms, cats, rats, lizards, lichen, grass, bonobos, etc.
But, going beyond life on Earth, let's consider the Universe. Most people have looked up at the night sky and perhaps have witness the passing of a shooting star or a satellite, or have had the pleasure to glance through a telescope and peer at other planets. I am also assuming the most people are aware of the presence of the Sun. Now, as can be demonstrated by glancing towards the stars at night, we KNOW that the Earth is not the center of the Universe. In fact, it is a small rock orbiting one star out of billions that exist in the entire Universe.
Humans are just one species that reside on this planet. There are a vast number of organisms that call this little rock home and there have been many others that have lived and gone extinct (remember the aforementioned fossils) throughout the Earth's 4.5 billion year history. How can one species, who live in a blink of time on a tiny rock tucked away in one small solar system in an obscure corner of just one galaxy, be the most important part of the whole universe?
I personally just don't buy it. I don't claim to have all of the answers. I have no idea where the universe came from, where we are headed, what it truly means to be human, and the point of life. But a white-skinned male with a long beard playing puppet with the universe? I don't think so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
