Sometimes we are open (mentally) to a change of perspective. Such a moment occurred for me as I was flying home to Nelson airport from Wellington on a beautiful clear August evening. I could see across to the ranges around Golden Bay as the sun cast an orange glow behind them. Below us bush covered the hills in tight curls broken only by the occasional building that erupted like a pimple from the skin below.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about the earth's crust as thin skin over the heaving, boiling body of our plant. I have been trying to get into perspective how we fit in the realm of the universe. Being that high up gave me that perspective. I realised that below me (unseen) were tiny people going about their business like tiny lice between the feathes of a chicken.
It gave me a jolt because I also realised we indeed are like lice on the skin of the earth. We itch at and burrow at the surface, and leave our excrement and rubbish strewn around. And what is more we are as unnecessary to the future of the earth as the lice on a chicken. It was like I was looking through the wrong end of a telescope and seeing myself in context within the universe.
The plane landed and I was absorbed into the crowd of people picking up luggage and being irritated with one another. I chatted with my partner about what the dog did and where to stop for tea, and I was back in the 'Me' who is the centre of my universe, making things happen and causing others to do the things I want them to do. I was back as controller of the universe.
Then, as we drove back over the hill to the place many call Paradise, I experienced a moment of rage when I saw MacDonalds packaging discarded without thought on the roadside. We are indeed lice on the crust of the earth.
Showing posts with label universe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label universe. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Who's the centre of the universe?
This morning I was walking the dog on the beach before sunrise. On the eastern horizon I noticed a tiny ball appearing so I stopped to wait for the global show. As the minutes slid by and the few clouds lit up around the edges, I reflected on the language we use to describe the sunrise. To start with: ‘sunrise’. The sun isn’t ‘rising’ – we and the globe we are on are turning towards its light. In the evening the sun ‘drops’ behind the hills. Yet we are merely turning away from the sun on that same easterly orbit that makes the sun appear to rise.
It’s almost as if we still believe in the flat earth theory!
I have once or twice managed to get a sense of turning away from the sun when watching the sun ‘set’ – feeling myself, feet riveted by gravity to the earth, moving away into darkness. However, trying to envisage our physical relationship with heavenly bodies, the sun and the world itself is very hard to do. It is so much easier to see ourselves as our own centre of the universe and act as if that is true.
When that flat earth perception is set as ‘truth’ the intention to act as a global force is harder to maintain. Our actions become simply a need to make ourselves feel good ... now. We won’t do ‘this’ because we will have to stretch outside our comfort zone; we won’t bother to recycle because we haven’t time; we’ll buy at the supermarket because we can’t be bothered to learn a different way, and so it goes on.
It is only when something forces us to look at our interconnectedness and the impact we have on others that we might take a step out of the centre of our universe. I was lucky enough to attend a Landmark Forum where a corner of that understanding was revealed to me. It changed my way of seeing, even though old habits persist.
In many ways the internet has become an opportunity to connect. While many may be using it to merely expand their personal universe by grabbing fame or notoriety, others are using it to increase their connectedness and act as a force for change. In some small way eBrainz can add its voice to increased connectedness by linking those who know to those who want to learn. My grateful thanks go out to the course providers who are coming on this journey of discovery.
It’s almost as if we still believe in the flat earth theory!
I have once or twice managed to get a sense of turning away from the sun when watching the sun ‘set’ – feeling myself, feet riveted by gravity to the earth, moving away into darkness. However, trying to envisage our physical relationship with heavenly bodies, the sun and the world itself is very hard to do. It is so much easier to see ourselves as our own centre of the universe and act as if that is true.
When that flat earth perception is set as ‘truth’ the intention to act as a global force is harder to maintain. Our actions become simply a need to make ourselves feel good ... now. We won’t do ‘this’ because we will have to stretch outside our comfort zone; we won’t bother to recycle because we haven’t time; we’ll buy at the supermarket because we can’t be bothered to learn a different way, and so it goes on.
It is only when something forces us to look at our interconnectedness and the impact we have on others that we might take a step out of the centre of our universe. I was lucky enough to attend a Landmark Forum where a corner of that understanding was revealed to me. It changed my way of seeing, even though old habits persist.
In many ways the internet has become an opportunity to connect. While many may be using it to merely expand their personal universe by grabbing fame or notoriety, others are using it to increase their connectedness and act as a force for change. In some small way eBrainz can add its voice to increased connectedness by linking those who know to those who want to learn. My grateful thanks go out to the course providers who are coming on this journey of discovery.
Best regards
Heather Sylvawood
Happy course creation
From the Team at eBrainz
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