I am hardly what you could call a scientist, or even have a strong, scientific mind.
That said, it is an endless source of fascination for me, and I wish that I was stronger in the field. Wish that I could just look up at a clear night sky, and identify stars and planets and constellations. Wish I knew more about astronomy in general, and what's out there, the mysteries such as black holes and time worms (tubes) and such. Wish I knew more about volcanoes, and how they work. Wish that I understood more about the human body. Wish I understood better how our planet works. Wish that I could go hiking and, for once, identify most, if not all, of the plants and rocks and such that I encounter on these hikes.
Truth of the matter is, though, that science never has been, and I guess, never will be, my strong suit.
Again, it always fascinated me. I grew up after America's big triumph in landing a man on the moon, and bringing him safely to Earth. Remember all of those fascinating videos and books and stories about astronauts. and even saw some of the actual things at the Air and Space Museum in Washington (The Smithsonian).
I watched Dante's Peak with my son recently, and that always reminds me of my fascination with volcanoes in 1997, the year that that movie came out, as well as the year that my then girlfriend (now ex-wife) traveled to Seattle, to the Pacific Northwest, and I got to see my first volcanoes (all dormant). I became truly fascinated with volcanoes at that point, and that interest has never fully waned since!
Indeed, I have learned some things about science that fascinates me. With a fascination (despite a lack of talent at either acquiring, or maintaining, a good body of knowledge in the field) in certain scientific fields, to be a real astronomer and volcanologist, or to truly have a good grasp of all of the modern technological innovations and wonders that are available or being explored and developed, for that matter. It is not for a want of interest in these fields, just a lack of ability, beyond a certain point, to be able to connect the dots, and attain a better, fuller understanding.
Still, it fascinates to explore these relatively unfamiliar areas from time to time, and it certainly does no harm. In fact, I think it is actually good for a person to try and remain as well rounded as possible throughout life, and not give up on learning beyond childhood. I view learning and exploring new things with a childlike sense of wonder much like I view maintaining a strong sense of humor about the world: it is necessary in order to keep one's sanity! This is a difficult world, one that we basically created for ourselves, culturally. The last thing that any of us should want to do is develop a toxic bitterness and hatred of the world, a resentment that gets in the way of appreciating the wonders and the beauty that the world has to offer, beyond the difficulties that we create for ourselves!
I believe in learning, and so I try to challenge myself, to read material that is not my specialty, specifically because it is not my specialty. Even when I read a Stephen Hawking book that I only understand a very little of (despite the fact that he has dumbed it down, and that I am reading it as slowly and carefully as possible), it still feels good, because I am challenging myself. not for a paycheck, or for some material motives, but just because I want to do so. And I have noticed that when I see other people who do the same thing, it is a quality that is appealing, that makes them more interesting through my eyes.
To that end, I found this blog (see link below) that had some fascinating material on science, and that essentially, in between the lines, urged people to explore this world further, just because. And that sounded like a great idea to me. Daniel Quinn really liked the French word "bricolage", which is to say, reflecting, tinkering, to create something from a diverse field of things. I think that we could do worse than to at least try, even playfully, to connect the dots in such a manner, even if we never make the connections. The alternative, which a vast majority of people do and subscribe to, is essentially to give up on trying to learn about anything outside of our own daily lives and limited existence, and to shut off the learning process for a fostered, and semi-encouraged, lack of interest, which to me, brings us one step closer to dying in a very real sense.
The Fermi Paradox
http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html
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