This is kind of cool.....

[DestMasters]

It's been awhile since I've posted any writings here.  The last one, Does God Matter, was something that I still discuss at times.  In a nutshell, my humble and personal opinion is that life is about doing our best, being compassionate and spreading loving kindness.  To others, if one even THINKS about the importance of the existence or non-existence of a god, it's blasphemous.  To me, that's what is SO cool about our world.........so many opinions and so much to learn from different views.  Our world... is it our town?  Our county?  Our country?  Our planet?  What really is our "world"?

I seem to be quite philosophical these days.  Why?  Who knows.  Some of it is because of some of the journals I've read here.  Part of it is due to some things I've seen happening around me here in my own tiny, little world. 

I read a journal a few months back where I was reminded that when we look up at the night sky and see stars flickering, we're looking into a time machine.  Because of the speed of light and the distance of these stars, we're seeing things that "happened" thousands of years ago.  It is quit possible that many of those stars we're seeing, no longer exist.

The space probes Voyager I and Voyager II are traveling farther than any other object that's ever left the Earth.  They're farther from the Earth and Sun than Pluto is.  They're approaching the boundary of our solar system.  Voyager I is traveling at more then 38,000,000 miles per hour.  These distances and speeds are things I can barely comprehend. 38,000,000 miles per HOUR.  The average circumference of the Earth at the equator is just under 25,000 miles.  At 38,000,000 per hour, one could run around the fattest part of the earth over 1500 times in ONE hour.  That's 25 times EACH SECOND.  Talk about the "need for speed"!

On each Voyager is a 12-inch gold-plated copper disc, a record album if you will, which contains sounds and images that were selected to represent life on Earth.  Included in this are greetings in 55 languages, 116 different images from diagrams to artwork as well as music from different cultures and eras.  Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Gregorian chants, panpipes and drums from Peru, percussion from Senegal and so much more. 

Personally, I think one of the most interesting pieces of music is "Dark Was The Night", written and recorded by Blind Willie Johnson.  Blind Willie Johnson was born in 1897.  He wasn't born blind.  It's reported that his stepmother threw lye in his face when he was 7 years old, when she was angry at Willie's father.  Blind Willie Johnson grew up to be a preacher and a musician.  He was penniless most of his life.  In 1945 his home burned down.  He continued to live in the burned out home, sleeping on a wet mattress, covering himself with newspaper.  He died of pneumonia two weeks after the home burned. 

Blind Willie Johnson's story seems pretty sad when we read his bio.  Treated poorly as a child, broke most of his life, dying in a burned out home.....

Yet, in spite of challenges in his life, he still made it to the far reaches of our solar system....and beyond.  I wonder if as a child, Blind Willie ever sat outside and looked at the stars, dreaming of perhaps traveling through them.  Could he ever have known that his music, in the form of a greeting to other potential life forms, would go to those stars? Of course, HE isn't on the Voyager but much of what made him who is was, his spirit, is definitely on that spacecraft.

I wonder, if anyone hears one of his recordings, would they have any idea of his history?  Conversely, if someone hears his story, would they be surprised to learn that when he was five years old he told his father he wanted to be a preacher and then made himself a cigar-box guitar?  I guess these things are only interesting if one sees them from a certain perspective.

Voyager I and II were launched in 1977.  It's somehow difficult for me to realize that the technology existed to pull off something as challenging as interstellar travel over 30 years ago.  Then again, weren't folks wandering around the moon almost 10 years before that? 

 

 

[uggs-lover]

Sep. 18, 2009 at 9:12 PM

.......I am speechless. It's funny though...how this makes one think....

[sungreen13]

Sep. 18, 2009 at 9:36 PM

Dest, I think this is the greatest. It made me cry, and smile at the same time. What a wonderful message. gosh I love you.

[Rebeccalynn_dj]

Sep. 19, 2009 at 2:43 AM

I love this post!

[cleanaturalady]

Sep. 19, 2009 at 9:43 AM

Dest, you really should share your writing with us more often.  I always love them.  The part about Blind Willie Johnson makes me sad.

[sweetheart1985]

Sep. 19, 2009 at 11:13 AM

Kinda cool? That's really cool! Thanks for sharing. I love learning new things!

[carmel92]

Sep. 20, 2009 at 11:07 AM

Thanks for posting......sure makes ya think! And thinking is good!!

[Enchantee]

Sep. 21, 2009 at 4:31 PM

I am deeply moved by Blind Willie's story, Dest, especially the way that you tell it.  I am also inspired to "do the next right thing".  Thank you for this beautiful post.

You know, one of my friends is a rocket scientist, & star gazing with him recently was one of the most fun experiences I've had in a long time.  In spite of all his knowledge, he's still the first to go, "Oh, wow!  Didja see that?!  Didja?  That was cool!" any time a star blinked or a comet streaked across the sky.

Your sense of wonder has reminded me of my friend's sense of wonder.  Together, you two have put my head in the right place for the week ahead:  I'm looking up & celebrating it all.

Shine on, sweet one...*muah*...Ceci