Greetings all,
Last night I read Dwayne Day's article and felt saddened. I wrote a piece
as a counter argument. I have submitted it to The Space Review and time
will tell if it gets published. I have included it below for those who
may be interested.
While it is not a scientific critique in any way, it is a reflection of
what, in my opinion, is the true legacy of Sagan.
Comments, critiques, etc. may now be leveled.
Joe L.
---
Never Gone So Long As We Remember
Carl Sagan was a great scientist and philosopher. He will be remembered
for bringing science to the masses and explaining in simple terms those
things which seemed so complex. But the lamenting for days gone by is to
ignore the gift that we were given by this man of wisdom. We do not need
Carl Sagan now for he is still with us - he is with those who are willing
to listen.
What made Carl so great is that he did not speak to our minds, he touched
our hearts. He gave each of us a beautiful and dreamlike picture of a
universe. A universe so vast and complex that it dwarfs our thinking.
Our minds are easily overwhelmed by its riches. But, our hearts can hold
many things: Love, fear, joy, sorrow and many other 'feelings' that the
mind cannot on its own comprehend. Carl spoke in what best described as
'sonnets of science', but what he did was touch us in a way that
transcended the mind. It is in this that he was a great man.
What is shameful is how we waste the gift he gave us - how we talk in
statistics and big words. When we talk to the public we get the nod 'yes'
when we ask if they understand, but their faces have the distinct look of
'what?' written upon them. They surrender to the complexities of the
issues because the have not had their hearts spoken to. What IS the big
deal about water on Mars? We don't talk about the significance, only the
fact. There is no 'what if' for the imagination to grab hold of. We
dont tell a story or inspire them to dream. We fail them and ourselves in
this undertaking.
The sad part for all of us in the science community is that we were given
a gift and we choose to ignore it. If instead of spouting statistics, we
took a moment and felt around for that little voice, that piece of Carl
that rattles around inside us, and then slowly and carefully spoke with
the objective of touching someone, we could inspire the public with the
tales of wonderment and creation that is our interstellar home.
Carl Sagan is right where he needs to be. He lives on inside each of us
as a voice that speaks volumes to the void of space. He planted a seed,
but it is us who must nurture it and grow it so that it can place seeds
within the imagination of others and continue to flourish. Carl doesn't
need to come back to us - he never left.
Dwayne Day writes:
I also have a somewhat wistful article on how the space community
could
really use another Carl Sagan:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/192/1
Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?
I have written a response to this one. Here's a first draft for review.
http://www.idiom.com/~turner/thenextdoctorstarstuff.html
Not sure where I'll take this - maybe nowhere. Comments appreciated.
-michael turner
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
==
You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/
