From a Distance
I don’t know how old I was, but I recall that when I learned the earth was round and continually spinning I wondered why we aren’t thrown off, or at least fall off.
If that were today, I would “Google” it, and find articles such as the one I found on todaysdate.com by Kenneth Wegorowski that compares the earth’s rotation to that of a merry-go-round to explain why the spinning doesn’t throw us off.
“In one day the earth rotates one time,” he writes. “In one day the merry-go-round rotates 22,736 times. The earth spins at rate of .0007 RPM. The merry-go-round spins at rate of 15.8 RPM.” So the earth is spinning way too slow to throw us off.
Pinned to the Planet
As to why we don’t fall off, I have answered that for myself. Gravity keeps us and our atmosphere pinned to the planet.
When I was back in elementary school, where I undoubtedly learned that the earth was round and spinning, I was unable to “Google” anything. The technology didn’t exist. Instead, I probably learned from Sister Mary Dolores (whom I remember with much fondness) that God keeps us from being thrown off or falling off.
Today, that answer may seem like the most naïve, unscientific answer possible, a model of “magical thinking.”
Ultimately Correct
But if you’re a believer, the answer is, ultimately, correct. If God is the First Mover, the Cause for all effects, creator of the Big Bang and all that went before and after it, God is ultimately responsible for the rate of the earth’s rotation and for the existence of gravity.
Granted, God creates through evolution, a process that includes randomness and a baffling amount of trial and error. For many of us, however, human life, all that supports it, and its ultimate fulfillment is the goal, and God supplied us with at least an intimation of God’s existence and God’s care for us.
And the Bible, religious tradition and the witness of millions provides us with reason to believe that God invites us to love God and others, and to fulfill the evolution toward human fulfillment. Scientific knowledge isn’t the only kind. Faith, like music, literature and art, is another way of knowing.
All this is hard to believe, however – especially in today’s world – and acquiring and maintaining faith isn’t easy. We need to be open to God’s invitation, be willing to draw closer to God in prayer and reflection and strive to be God-like. We need to see below the surface of things to see the world as it is.
Not Part of the Equation
For many, God is simply not part of the equation. For them, it’s just too hard to detect God’s presence, not just because of the lack of scientific evidence but because of the evil in the world. I understand them, feel for them and leave them in God’s care.
Non-believers can, however, share with believers the desire to make humans more humane, the world a more inviting place for all creation.
I’ve been watching a documentary on Netflix about the various expeditions into space, showing stunning views of planet earth and am reminded of the song, “From a Distance,” written by Julie Gold and popularized by Bette Midler.
The lyrics to the second stanza go: “From a distance we all have enough and no one is in need. And there are no guns, no bombs and no disease, no hungry mouths to feed. From a distance we are instruments marching in a common band, playing songs of hope, playing songs of peace….”
This sounds similar to the Old Testament prophecies read in many Christian churches during this time of Advent. They both proclaim that it falls to all of us, believers or not, to make the deep desires of our hearts closer to reality.
