Continued.. I would like to add something to my previous post
regarding definition(s) of 'spirituality' ...
While reviewing some basic astrophysics concepts today, I re-read a
popular science article I liked very much, called: "Recycling in the
Universe" (Sky and Telescope, November 2000) by Alyssa Goodman, a
professor at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her article is about the 'recycling'
processes that occur in the interstellar medium.
The photograph on the last page of the article ties together all of
the concepts that she describes in the text: it is a Hubble Space
Telescope image of NGC 3603 in Carina. In the photo, one sees
molecular clouds processing material, one sees the dark regions of
dust, one sees newly formed pre-main sequence stars with winds
ionizing the hydrogen gas, and one sees an old star ejecting its
outer envelope, so it now appears as a planetary nebula. My
emotional reaction to this photograph was: awe in the our
Universe's existence, as I described in my previous message, plus
the following:
Whether our existence is a simulation, or a play of the tragedies
and comedies created by a larger intelligence, it doesn't matter
much to me: the processes that are part of our existence are
magnificent. Just as I have to respect every event in my life that
shaped my current existence, I respect every process that shaped the
existence of everything else, and I really feel honored that I was
asked (?) to participate in the unfolding of the Universe's events,
and that I'm a part of it all.
When I saw that photograph, I *knew* that I was a part of that
magnificent scheme. I would call this one more aspect of my
'spirituality' because many of my small daily practices are simply
supporting and paying attention to "what exists" and appreciating
and respecting them for what they are.
(Lee, does this help you to understand how some of us might
define spirituality?)
Amara
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Amara Graps email: amara@amara.com
Computational Physics vita: finger agraps@shell5.ba.best.com
Multiplex Answers URL: http://www.amara.com/
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"Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the
future of the human race." -- H. G. Wells
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