Friday, October 13, 2006

Reality In Tact

Sometimes I wonder about reality. When I was in high school, we learned about atoms. We were told indisputably that atoms, or I should say the electrons, protons and neutrons, were the smallest building blocks of our universe. Everything was made of the electrons, protons and neutrons, my teachers and the textbooks said, and these sub-atomic particles could not be divided. Well, this was in the 1980s, and the scientific community knew better. But that was not what we were told.

We were not told what the scientific community knew because it was more convenient. I mean, leptons, quarks and whatever else. The point is not what I know about particle physics (which is not much), but that when we were learning stuff and told definitively about the world, the experts knew they were not telling us the truth.

This was more convenient – not telling high schoolers more of the truth. I am not talking about discussing quantum mechanics. I am talking about mentioning that there was more to chemistry than the Bohr model that we learned.

Truth and reality – so many people are bothered when their version of reality when it is challenged. And I am not saying that I am any different.

When you read in the newspaper that some mother smothered her two twin gifts from God and went back to sleep, sometimes your sense of reality changes. You know, what I don't want is for these stories to stop shocking me. My sense of reality is more beautiful than reality truly is, and another part of me will die when this changes.

Short post today; tears streaming down my face.

17 comments:

Tony said...

Hug

Stacy The Peanut Queen said...

I saw that article. Too horrid to believe.

Ever hear Kathy Fisher's song "Nothing Is Real"? (If you want to hear it, you have to go down and click on the link to the song.

Perfect example of hoe I sometimes feel..."Evil is not taking over the universe"!

Deb said...

People just snap. You'd never even suspect the ones who do snap. It's always the normal, down-to-earth person who loses their marbles.

Blog hog said...

::: Snaps Deb's bra strap :::
hehehehe

Blog hog said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Deb said...

Adjusts bra and smacks GW

What kind of people do you draw into this blog Leesa?

Leesa said...

tony: thanks!

stacy: never heard of it but I will listen to it.

~deb: I think some people snap; others are so healthy.

gw: that hurts, by the way.

Leesa said...

~deb: I say we put a bra on dw and snap that puppy!

Unknown said...

I remember when the Oklahoma City bombing took place, my son was 2 years old and all of those day care kids that were killed... it really hit home. Makes you go home and kiss your kids and tell them you love them.

Unknown said...

i can't foresee you ever changing. :) great post once again.

you mean you didn't notice i'd been gone? sheesh. ;) jk. i've been busy job hunting etc and took a break from blogging, but you don't visit mine, so you wouldn't know that. it's fine, i love your writing and come back often, although i did take a few weeks off. oh well, i guess my comments are so forgettable, you didn't miss me. ;) no worries, lol, i'm just happy to be one of your many fans.

Leesa said...

sasha: nice thoughts.

kycm: have a great weekend!

jd: I think I have lost a lot of readership (or commenter-ship).

Deb said...

Let's do it Leesa! I think he's just dying to wear some lingerie anyway... ;)

And how can you say that you're losing readership and commenters? Your posts are always interesting---AS LONG AS YOU KEEP PUTTING MY NAME IN THERE! (hahaa) Such a huge ass ego I have, huh?

{{hugs}}

Enjoy your weekend my dear!

Unknown said...

It breaks my heart what some people do...

Leesa said...

~deb: thanks, sweetie! And I think JD wants permission to wear lingerie!

~jkw: mine as well.

jef: yeah, the two stories I have been close to were misreported by reporters who did not understand the situation.

QUASAR9 said...

Hi Leesa,
your posts are a rich mix
from particles to articles.

The reason we are not told everything in any one subject at high school, is because it is hard enough even later at Univ to really specialise in one.

I mean I used to think I could name all the cool bands (rock) and all the models of cars in my day.
But 20 years later I couldn't even come close to naming half of either.

It is not that my breadth of knowledge is narrower or my memory shorter, it is that the breadth of knowledge has increased incrementally.

PS - 3 million words in the english language, how many in Shakespeares plays (and days).

And apparently another bit of trivia: there are only really quarter of the plant species listed, it's just that we've named all at least four times in four different ways.

But snapping - and god's gifts.
Were you being sarcastic?
Debs are you the snapping type

Leesa was that 'never' for the world to a three way? - You too wouldn't leave me out or exclude me from all the fun surely.

Deb said...

I'm the snappin' type if the snapee' is the right type. ;)

Leesa said...

quasar: thanks for the compliments.

~deb: you know, having my bra strap snapped never got me in the proper mood.