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Luigi Brogna's avatar

Thanks for reminding me of Mayer's book. I had read it several years ago and now, because of your Daily Rant; I shall shake the dust off and reread it again. I will then send it to my wonderful grandson for Christmas.

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Deepspace's avatar

'Tis the season...

I love all the lights people display to ward off the darkness heading into winter solstice with the promise of longer days ahead for the spring planting season, thus ensuring survival for another year. And, of course, evoking the gods to restart the cycle with esoteric incantations also ensured a position of honor among the villagers for the local shaman who intervened on their behalf.

Such pagan pageantry may well be one of our most ancient traditions, at least in the northern regions where the sun's arc travels a more divergent path. Can you imagine how frightening that must have been to think the gods have abandoned their children plunging into the cold, dark night? Or, maybe under the right circumstances, fear gives way to something else entirely.

The more we understand, the more we do not know -- questions without answers. We are antennae covering the face of Earth like hair, loudly and constantly broadcasting our presence, hoping someone or something out there is listening as if we are somehow important to the Cosmos.

Every form of life is important no matter how insignificant, but perhaps there would be less strife if humans would learn instead to be more silent and to receive. In other words, shut up and listen!

To nature.

Personally, as a mere human, some of my most profound experiences of "stillness" occurred unintentionally on the railroad while stuck in the siding waiting for trains, standing alone on the vast frozen prairie east of the Rockies in the middle of those remarkably clear and deeply starry winter nights, gazing into the abyss -- that timeless "aha" moment also as old as the first hominins capable of wonderment and astonishment.

Happy holidays and peace to all.

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