Pixels in the Solar Wind

When I officially establish my new Religion (so close!) Carl Sagan will be one of the patron saints. In fact, this effort is largely inspired by the passion Sagan displayed towards all things science. It IS possible to maintain a sense of wonder, even of the mystical, while adhering rigorously to the Scientific principle. I mean, quite simply, if a Black Hole is not enough to convince you of the miraculous nature of our reality, what will? O right, some fairy tale about a stolen God... Boring!

Anyways, the quote above sums up much of my thoughts on the always interesting subject of "perspective". This picture was taken in large part because Sagan pushed for it, convincing otherwise skeptical NASA administrators it would be worth it. So, as Voyager 1 streamed well past Uranus (hehehe!), they turned the spaceship around and pointed it back at Earth - the pale blue dot above.

Here's some recent homages:

  Click for big - Earth and the Moon as seen from Mercury

 Earth, as seen from Saturn - we're in the upper right, magnified in the upper left.


This is a more complicated phenomena than it might appear on the surface. To wit, Religion placed Mankind as the center of the Universe - God made us in HIS image! But since science has come on the scene, our "place" in the Universe has been constantly demoted. From the Earth no longer being at the center of the Solar System (Copernicus) to the discovery of other Galaxies, the discovery of other planets, and so on, all the way to the Darwinian concept of Evolution - which states we're monkeys!

So, on the one hand, we realize we are just dust motes in the grand scheme of things. It might be depressing, but it's the truth. In fact, from this perspective, you can do away with any objective, external sense of "worth", and instead accept the Existentialist viewpoint: In a reality of no meaning, the only meaning that can exist is the meaning you create.

OR! You can deny it all, and live in a fantasy created by men over the years designed to enslave you, in the name of God - God has a plan for YOU, child.


The choice seems simple to me. I realize this is not the case with many others. What to do about it, however?


New Religion!