Lately I have wanted to write about things I have slowly developed an appreciation for. Many times, the rest of the world has seemingly under-rated these things.
For instance, it is not easy to enjoy books on geology, even if you are in locations where the topography screams at you. Now I have basically finished the book, "Earth," by Richard Fortey.
The book has inspired me to think that Shakespeare was mistaken when he compared the seasons of a man's life to performances on stage. It would be better to compare life to the topography of the earth; to see the drama in the lifting up of the sea into high arid plateaus; and to watch the slow and uneven erosion of its heights.
When we admire topography, we aren't really looking at 'erosion.' Rather, we are looking at an original 'lifting up,' followed by differential rates of erosion. In geology, this occurs in one direction, because gravity and time run in one direction.
But in a human life, what is to stop a 'lifting up' from occurring at the end? Different types of 'lifting up' could have different rates. Meanwhile, the same thing could be happening to various declines in that life.
I want to think of this tendency to better appreciate various things as a metaphorical orogeny that can occur at the end of a human lifetime. It can result is a rich topography to that life, which might be called personal 'character.'
For instance, it is not easy to enjoy books on geology, even if you are in locations where the topography screams at you. Now I have basically finished the book, "Earth," by Richard Fortey.
The book has inspired me to think that Shakespeare was mistaken when he compared the seasons of a man's life to performances on stage. It would be better to compare life to the topography of the earth; to see the drama in the lifting up of the sea into high arid plateaus; and to watch the slow and uneven erosion of its heights.
When we admire topography, we aren't really looking at 'erosion.' Rather, we are looking at an original 'lifting up,' followed by differential rates of erosion. In geology, this occurs in one direction, because gravity and time run in one direction.
But in a human life, what is to stop a 'lifting up' from occurring at the end? Different types of 'lifting up' could have different rates. Meanwhile, the same thing could be happening to various declines in that life.
I want to think of this tendency to better appreciate various things as a metaphorical orogeny that can occur at the end of a human lifetime. It can result is a rich topography to that life, which might be called personal 'character.'
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George