Inspired by an excerpt from the new Carl Sagan book, The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A personal View of the Search for God, edited by Ann Druyan (Carl’s widow). Penguin Press. This book is based on the 1985 Gifford Lectures in Scotland.
Search spacious realms, dear Hubble, Galaxies, like stars of ten Milky Ways, With their own stars and cosmic rubble, Planetary coveys feel stellar rays.
How utterly vast, calculus conveys, Universe so wide, so deep and tall, Accelerating yet, its expanding ways, Stretch of infinity, wall to wall.
Tiny pale gilded incandescence, Small star, hydrogen fusion shines On shrouded blue white opalescence, Where ocean and cloud intertwines.
Modest planet, merest of blue specks, Embarrassed by a wealthy universe. Home to arrogant egotistic wrecks, Who claim gods, and ignore obverse.
Make edifice to their gods so great, As to intimidate with feelings of awe, Goal is humility they boldly state. Please! Gaze into heavenly maw.
Thomas Paine’s logic for profit heed: From whence this solitary conceit, With billions of worlds in equal need Of His beneficent care to mete,
That God would come HERE to expire? Redemption for people who ate fruit? Or, should we suppose every empire In boundless creation followed suit?
In dynamics of universal abode, Worlds are born, live and expire, In bright supernova, stars explode, And quasars — whole galaxies afire!
If life be common among worlds so rife, Routinely planets suffer obliteration — Different from God caring for life, Advancing with care, His veneration.
Western theology has God very small, It’s a Mediterranean-centered view, Miniscule bit of universe is all, Its perspective, badly askew.
Not even a planet did its god rule, Nor galaxy, much less the universe, Modern cosmos is another school Than ancestral chapter and verse.
Of myopic god take not my word, Read holy texts, eyes wide open, Provincial focus —how absurd — This tiny god view — so ill-shapen!
Do we lack humility of expression? If God is, our intelligence be His gift, Passionate exploration suppression Would be unappreciative and adrift.
And if the obverse, and God is not, Intelligence and curiosity are tools Essential for surviving this hotspot, Where nature suffers no fools.
In either case, knowledge enterprise Is surely consistent with science, Essential for human emprise — Survival, and spirit of ebullience.
Now, survey universe, aperture ajar, Infinitude of incredibly glorious shapes, Each speck a galaxy or blazing star, Ungodly vast, these cosmo-scapes:
Quite a piece of poetry to ponder L. I guess we're both on this godly adventure. The mythologicals have a point, don't watchout, anything can annoit. The mind is just like our universe, it can be an ungodly vast or a godly vast depending on the individual
Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm playing hide and go seek, but no one is playing! So temporary, so part of a forever...
Who are we, anyway?
Enjoyed!
Love and Peace~
Kimmy~
Modest planet, merest of blue specks,
Embarrassed by a wealthy universe.
Home to arrogant egotistic wrecks,
Who claim gods, and ignore obverse.
We may truly be just dust in the universe, and at the rate we are going today, our tiny blue speck of a planet may one day soon be - just dust as well, or perhaps, just water.
Oh what an excellent insight from you...yes I am awe struck by the power of this thought provoking piece!!
Thank you dear man for sharing...funny enough I took a nap and you were in my dream...me telling someone {young lazy ones} about your strength...and WHAM here you show it in a different way too!!
“Do we lack humility of expression?” – Maybe we do, dearest Leland. In many things and in many ways, we, the human kind, seem to try to compensate our notion – to many, an uncomfortably humbling one, to many more, an infuriating awareness – of how minuscule, in fact, we truly are, with concepts and conceptions “larger than life” itself. Paradoxically, we (the human kind) seem to find it more important and even more acceptable to “outshine” ourselves, through such concepts and conceptions, than to actually appreciate our relevance, such as we are, tiny particles that we may be, in such a vast, ever expanding universe – this “great scheme of things” in which every minuscule “thing” matters, because it is part of a whole and of its equilibrium. As a great admirer of the work of Dr. Carl Sagan, and as a keen, if humble (and ok with it), student, thus observer, of all things which make me ponder, question, and, therefore, grow, here are my thanks, my dearest friend, for the vastness of the infinite challenge posed, again, through your poem – “seek… and (while) thou shall (or may not) find (all answers)”, the fundamental thing is to never give up on seeking… be it because “thou”, we, think “thou”, we, shall never find all “thou”, we, seek to know… be it because “thou”, we, think “thou”, we, already know it all. Warm {{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}} and lots of love, from your friend and fan,
Alexandra*
I agree with Regis, your work is always awe-inspiring in scope. Even when I disagree;-)Of course I still do, but time my dear friend will eventually give us our answers. I love the photo and saved the image;-) Thank you dear Leland! I'm doing better;-)...
Awe-inspiring in scope of thought-elicinting verses, my friend. Thank you for sharing your insight. Much appreciated and respected. Love and peace to you,
I must confess: I am hungry, and this "Ungodly Vast" is a table serving full course meals and nine desserts.
About this composition one can write many books... "Ungodly Vast" flows through crystal waters showing three hundred and fifty-seven brilliant cut diamonds and sixty-four flawless Sapphires set on its sixteen diadems for the pleasure of Minerva and for the enrichment of this reader's soul and mind.
Thank You for honoring The American Fine Letters.
In cooperative attitude and admiration,
Andre Emmanuel Bendavi ben-YEHU
Reviewed by Andy Turner (Reader)
Reviewed on February 24, 2007
Sure shows his lack of knowledge of Gods Omnipotence
A unique perspective about the reality of existence, the meaning of life, the true impact of relationships between human beings and all life as well as the spirit world, and the impact that everyone makes on the universe. (Available in Print or as an
Histories of the world are generally written to either celebrate technology and science, or to herald doom. My book examines the path of the spirit in the onward rush.
A scientist/philosopher explores the mysteries of existence in a highly personal quest for answers to life's ultimate questions, forging a bridge between sterile science and spiritual values -- a scholarly work for all who seek wisdom, truth, true fr
Share
Print
Save
Follow
Who are we, anyway?
Enjoyed!
Love and Peace~
Kimmy~
the time is near we all will find out facts soon enuf
very interesting and thought-provoking
Sagan didn't have benefit of Hubble's images. We do.
Ron
CJ
Embarrassed by a wealthy universe.
Home to arrogant egotistic wrecks,
Who claim gods, and ignore obverse.
We may truly be just dust in the universe, and at the rate we are going today, our tiny blue speck of a planet may one day soon be - just dust as well, or perhaps, just water.
Thank you dear man for sharing...funny enough I took a nap and you were in my dream...me telling someone {young lazy ones} about your strength...and WHAM here you show it in a different way too!!
Love Tinka
Alexandra*
Regis
Elizabeth
I must confess: I am hungry, and this "Ungodly Vast" is a table serving full course meals and nine desserts.
About this composition one can write many books... "Ungodly Vast" flows through crystal waters showing three hundred and fifty-seven brilliant cut diamonds and sixty-four flawless Sapphires set on its sixteen diadems for the pleasure of Minerva and for the enrichment of this reader's soul and mind.
Thank You for honoring The American Fine Letters.
In cooperative attitude and admiration,
Andre Emmanuel Bendavi ben-YEHU