Old Fools Journal: Contemplating Earths End or the end of mankind and how I learned to love it

Friday the 13th, February, 2009

This planet that humans call Earth is a time and space vehicle on which we are merely passengers. We can not steer it nor change its destination we can only ride and until recently we could not even get off if we did not care for it. For most of us getting off earth is not an option so we can only choose to ride dead or alive. That being the case why do we trash it? I can understand trashing it because of ignorance but whole societies without the benefit of higher education have managed to minimalize trashing their ride. Ignorance can be cured. Education, information and guidance is the cure.
After ignorance is cured and we are aware that we are trashing our nest but we continue anyway is stupidity. There is no cure for stupidity.

The earth doesn't care what we do. It was here for billions of years before we were even crawling around in the slime and it will be here in some form or other for billions of years after we have departed. Unless of course, the sun goes nova or it is disintegrated to build a new hyperspace on ramp then it will still be here just not in the conventional sense. Even a massive gamma ray burst will leave the earth intact. We'll just be fried.

I have been reading and watching video lectures lately of the earths origins and it's trials and tribulations. I do this every 5 or 6 years and at least every 10 years to reaffirm my insignificance. There is speculation about mans destruction of earth. What arrogance. We can't even control the weather and only recently has been able to predict it with some minimal accuracy. We can't control even the smallest volcano or earthquake. We could probably do these things someday but I doubt we'll last long enough to do it. Although we can' t destroy the earth we can destroy our ability to live on it. Not to worry however, the universe (at least our universe out of the multi verses) is probably going to do that for us with a shrug of its mighty shoulders.

If you want to have some fun with this and feel insignificant yourself then go to
Cracked.com and get a load of that. It is plenty funny if you don't read the comments. Comments seems to be where the juveniles play. Stupid really comes into play there. The author has been reading and watching the same things I have and boils it down so that it is quick and funny with lots of pictures. He makes impending doom funny as it should be.

I also recommend Michio Kaku short lectures on You Tube. He is brilliant but spells it out in plain language. Very interesting.

Due to weather, aches and pains and the fact that I have been having so much fun learning stuff I haven't been making or tinkering lately but tomorrow that all changes. I am going to the motel where SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and my youngest princess are tonight and spend the day listening to the girls squeal, laugh and giggle. SWMBO and I are even going into the bar for a watered down over priced gin. She's buying. After all tomorrow marks 25 years since I plucked her out of the desert in my air machine. Least she can do is buy me a drink.

After I get over the depression of the princess leaving Sunday I'm going to get busy. That is if a gamma ray burst or a black hole doesn't get us.