Skip to main content

Human extremes

May 31 2020.

End of another calendar month in the year 2020.  Historic for a variety of reasons.

After nine years the human endeavor to continue to devise ways to escape earth's gravity continued with a successful commercial launch of a rocket with a space module (made by SpaceX) the day before and the phenomenal docking with the International Space Station about 260 miles above earth.

Bothe vessels were traveling over 17,000 mph during the time of docking.

Simply amazing - requiring scores of staff working in close collaboration toward one single goal.

Contrast that with the tragedy and travesty of what is unraveling on earth itself.  The same species but certain individuals with ideologies that are completely opposite of what made the victorious event possible.

Potentially fueled by poor judgement and certain biases toward fellow man there was a death of a black man as the outcome of a police interaction in midwestern America.

What followed was equally tragic with the expression of grief and anger and a racial divide exposed.  Looting, burning, destruction of private and public property and some close calls that caused injury to more of our species.

How and why we as a species continue to exhibit these polar opposite emotion and attitude will remain a subject of intense scrutiny and research for years.  But it is evident that we are not out of the woods on ensuring our own survival in a manner that is just and equitable for all man and womankind.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Of Jims and Johns

Here is another essay on the subject of first names. As in birth names. Or names provided to an offspring at birth. While the developed world tends to shy away from the exotic like Refrigerator or Coca Cola for their new production there is a plethora of Jims and Johns and Bobs or Robs. Speaking of which I do not think there is a categoric decision point at the time of birth if a child will be hereafter called as Bob. I mean have not yet met a toddler called Bob or Rob for that matter. At some point though the parental instinct to mouth out multiple syllables runs out and they switch from calling the crawler Robert to simply Robbie to Rob. Now speaking of - it is strange that the name sounds like something you would not want Rob to do - i.e. Rob anyone. Then why call someone that? After all Rob Peter to Pay Paul is not exactly a maxim to live a young life? Is it? Perhaps Peter or Paul might want to have a say in it? Then there is this matter of going to the John. Why degrad...
2 comments
Read more

But What If We're Wrong?

I attempted to read this book by author Chuck Klosterman backward to forward but it started hurting my brain so I decided to stop and do it like any other publication in the English language.  Start from page 1 and move to the right. Witty, caustic and thought provoking this is a book you want to read if you believe that the status quo might, just might be wrong. At times bordering on being contrarian about most things around us it tries to zero in on the notion of what makes anything believable and certain in our minds.  The fact that there is a fact itself is ironic.  Something analogous to the idea that you can never predict the future because there is no future. Many books and movies have tried to play on this concept - best that I recollect (I think I am) was 'The Truman Show'.  This book by Klosterman attempts to provoke the reader to at least contemplate that what they think they know may be wrong. He uses examples like concept of gravity, and how it ...
2 comments
Read more

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected.  I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot.  It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is.  Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy.  It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff?  Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality.  So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing?  Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...
2 comments
Read more