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Aug 28, 2003 My girlfriend thinks I’m weird, and she’s probably right. The latest reason that she thinks that I am off is because, for some reason, I am excited about the fact that Mars is the closest that it has been to the Earth in 60,000 years. Mars is not going to be this close to the Earth again for another 300 years or more, so that means that our kids (if I had any) and then their kids and their kids and their kids wouldn’t have the chance to see Mars like we can see it right now. Whew! I don’t know about you, but to me that’s pretty heady stuff. Here is a moment in Earth’s history that is unlike any other moment in Mankind’s recorded history. 60,000 years ago, Yarg might have leaned over to Grok and grunted as he pointed up at the heavens and then they both would have noticed the bright red star in the sky. Yarg, being the clever one, would have noticed that the bright red star wasn’t normally there and might even have tried to grunt out an explanation of this fact to his buddy Grok. Unfortunately, Grok, being the less clever of the two, would have already fallen asleep after picking a few nits from his hair. Grok, too, would think I am weird. I really have been trying to understand why it is that the fact that Mars is so close to the Earth right now is so interesting tome. I don’t have a telescope, and aside from seeing the star as a bright light in the Eastern Sky, I can’t really see that this particular celestial occurrence makes one whit of difference in my life. My bills are still due, my car still needs overpriced gas and there are still 134 people running for governor in California (including my lovely Aunt Joanne from Tarzana, toss her a vote would ya? She’s running on a “Paint the State Mauve” platform…works for me). Mars being close to the Earth right at this specific moment in time will change none of these things, so what is it? Maybe it is BECAUSE this doesn’t change anything that it is so important to me. Maybe it is because looking up at the night sky and opening myself up to a little unfettered musing, is just what I need right about now. Maybe because it doesn’t really MEAN anything is the reason that it MEANS so much to me. There are so many big, important issues screaming around our lives these days. Issues that effect people’s lives and liberties; issues that make people screaming mad; issues that cause people to hate their neighbors and shout out slogans in front of news cameras and write scathing attacks in various publications and web sites. Down here, you can’t open your eyes without someone shouting in your face that you have opened them WRONG, or that by opening them in the way that you did you are being a typical such and such type, and your type has RUINED everything that they feel is sacred and pure and good. But up there, in the lonely, mostly empty sky, there’s a simple little convergence of planetary geometry that has brought us all to a single meaningless moment that has become very significant in my life. Nobody is shouting, they’re just looking up and letting themselves be carried away from all the noise down here…just for a few moments. So if you all think I’m weird for this, fine. Just keep your shouting down to a dull roar for a little while. Yarg and I are out here looking at Mars. ------------ Email Scott Jones: rosenquill@rocketmail.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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