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Monday, August 8, 2016

The Enigma of Creation

There are as many creation stories as there are indigenous cultures, and as many interpretations as there are --have been and will be-- minds to interpret them. They do, however, have certain points in common.
Creation myths begin with a creator, a being of pure potential, perfected in darkness, who decides to bring light --much like the figure in the geodoodle above. In the doodle, light is represented as stars spreading away from each other. A reference to the Doppler Effect tells us the red stars are moving away and the blue ones are coming toward us. I included yellow stars because I think they are pretty. We orbit a yellow star. All of them emit light.

Light is energy propagated at a visible wavelength.  Its definition is inseparable  from its velocity. That is, nothing can equal the speed of light without being light --so it also serves as a universal constant, particularly in this equation: E= mc2When we are young algebra students, it is almost irresistible, we divide both sides of the equation by c2 and discover ourselves to be E, kinetic energy, and m, relativistic mass. In short, we are the square root of light.

Creation myths generally describe building archetypal humans out of water and earth --after adjustments are made by the creator to the velocity of light resulting in seas and minerals. Scientific evidence suggests we crawled from the water in search of new evolutionary opportunities. Whether scientific, scriptural or metaphorical, creation stories abound. I rather like to include a bit of supernature, which is why this is my favorite creation myth: 

"Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul,
With a corn cob pipe and a button nose, and two eyes made of coal.

Frosty the Snowman, is a fairytale, they say.
He was made of snow, but the children know he came to life one day.

There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found,
For when they placed it on his head, he began to dance around!" 

My appreciation to Doppler, Einstein and the songwriting team of Nelson and Rollins. And to all from this hot California summer: Remember the winter sometimes and try to dance around a little. I do!

28 comments:

  1. I love waking up to a little Geotheory. Must go dance now. Have a nice day!

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    1. It's gone well so far, dance worked. Trust you had a good day too!

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  2. Aah yes...all those creation myths...has the potential to blow our minds - if we ponder too intensely! *smiles*

    Absolutely, time to dance, I think...before winter sets in!

    But do you think you could send just a little of that famous Californian heat this way?
    I'm sitting here in my conservatory covered in goosebumps!! lol

    Have a great day.:))

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    1. Have been waving heat eastward for you today but believe it got stuck in Utah and Arizona. Will try again.

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  3. Yes, yes. Creation is a dance of light.

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    1. We have only to listen to the sunlit sea, Tom. It's got a beat and we can dance to it.

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  4. You probably should have reminded everyone to dance inside with the air conditioner. Other than that I like the idea of the dance of creation.

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    1. I don't know if the regenerative Tāṇḍavam of Shiva can be danced in AC, Emma, but don't see why not.

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  5. Happy dances to defy the season. I do like that thought. Thank you.

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    1. Then, despite distance and seasons, I believe we have a dance.

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  6. Order from chaos, Geo. That's all we've wanted. Something to explain the seemingly random series of events that occur, most days of our lives. For some I've read, when they were 8 it was the explanation why their dad didn't hit their mom that night.
    It's hard to accept that this, this life, is it. It's all there is. If we were 'created', it was from some being that is so far beyond us to create the Universe and what's beyond the universe, that this is all just byproduct.
    Which is fine, isn't it? Imagine the freedom that gives us.....we are our own people. We are who we are. We don't have people or beings we can blame. We are our own creations.
    I don't mind that a bit, I like that idea.
    When I was 20, ,it was why some guys were still alive at the end of a firefight, that that taken half their number.
    I've had patients who I told their meds wore not working, the procedure had not worked. It was the will of the creator. The one who had created all this mess.
    I know your post was meant to be light-hearted, Geo. It's just most I've seen in my life that concerned this topic were people who were explaining things that they didn't understand. The reasons are out there, for those who wonder and someday will explain, like their fore bearers, how this stuff actually works. Why their aunt died, why their job left town for somewhere else.

    Cheers, pal. Didn't catch me in the best mood possible tonight.
    Hope you're well.

    Mike

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    1. I don't pretend to grasp the selectivity of the process, Mike. I know we are built to extract precision out of chaos, to think. I also know the arrow of time follows entropy --entropy is always accompanied by heat: war, infection, overtaxed engines, emotion. Self-determination comes with a price, a great price. I hope, someday, better minds than mine will solve its sadder enigmas, and the dance will go on. Doing ok, thanks, you too I trust.

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  7. Second Christmas reference I have seen this month. People are definitely feeling the heat.

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  8. Indeed we are, Squid. Maybe that's why I keep imagining Gene Autry's cheerful voice sing that song. The Christian advent of the new archetype and the ballad of Frosty share some important similarities.

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  9. When I was a young algebra student, I - alas - did not find fiddling with equations to be at all irresistible, so I'm very glad you've done it here for slackers like me.

    And, the older I get, the more I think there has to be "something" out there that caused all of what we see to happen. Not because I fear going to hell, because I think that's a man-made construct. No, there's just too much beauty and magic and numeric repetition and constancy in nature. (True, there's all the gory stuff, too, but, well, everybody gotta eat. Unfortunately.)

    Where was I?

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    1. O Jenny, on reviewing my math I believe the "E" side of the equation, divided by the constant, would leave an irreducible quantum as quotient --possibly the soul. The theory will always be under redefinition. Likewise your question, "Where was I?"--each new future contains a new history. Quite a vigorous dance.

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    2. Oh dear. The "Where was I?" was supposed to have been deleted, Geo.! I was starting down another trail of thought but got sidetracked by a mistake earlier in my comment and forgot to go back. You covered very nicely for me, I must say! Well, I do like to dance, especially if it makes my kids roll their eyes. Carry on!

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    3. When I was a kid, my mother tried to teach me the "Turkey Trot", which made me laugh and run out of the house. All part of the larger dance. And, like your enigmatic closing question, all part of the fun.

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  10. I was hesitant to comment because I have nothing of value to ad to your perceptive post - or the clever observations of your readers.

    I will say that I haven't heard the Frosty song in a very long time - but now that you've supplied the words, I can't get the tune out of my head. It's a rather pleasant affliction.

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    1. Jon, I value your every comment and empathize with the persistence of the Frosty tune. Several lines of the song consist entirely of the word "thumpety" and I am trying to eradicate them from memory this very moment.

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  11. Dude, your so-called Geo-doodle is fantabulous. It's the sort of thing I would happily frame and hang on the wall. (Right up there with the shots I have of Halle-Boppe blazing a trail in the sky over a lighthouse in south Georgia.)

    I, for one, am glad that I'm not made of snow. With as hot as it's been here this summer, I would've been a goner a long time ago.

    Another super post, dude.

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    1. Thanks,Susan. I'm impressed you got a photo of that comet. I kept putting it off because of clouds and this and that and now must wait until it returns in 2,520 years. Dudes are very patient.

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  12. HA! Not ALL dudes are patient. Like in the poem my mother used to recite: Patience is a virtue; keep it if you can. Seldom found in women, and never found in men."

    I wish I could take credit for that photo, because it's gorgeous. An amateur radio friend, who also happens to be an amateur astronomer, sent it to me. I was going to offer to send it to you, but darned if I can find in on my computer. If I find it, I'll let you know.

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    1. Thanks Susan. Your mother's poem is correct. Waiting 2,520 years was a slight exaggeration --I'd have trouble even waitng half that long.

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