I am preparing a ceremony this week for a man who was passionate about science, about knowledge and about education; his mind was ceaselessly engaged in the wonders of the universe. In preparing the words for the ceremony, I came across this lovely quote from Bill Bryson, taken from "A short history of nearly everything". Bill Bryson wrote:
It is a slightly arresting notion that if you
were to pick yourself apart with tweezers, one atom at a time, you would
produce a mound of fine atomic dust, none of which had ever been alive but all
of which had once been you.
As someone whose knowledge of science is approaching nought from the negative side, the quote alone is thought provoking in itself and it certainly makes me to attempt to read the book (although I shall travel more in hope than expectation...).
The intro continues...
For the period of your existence they [the atoms] will answer to a single rigid impulse: to keep you you.
The bad news is that atoms are fickle and their
time of devotion is fleeting – fleeting indeed. Even a long human life adds up
to only about 650,000 hours. And when that modest milestone flashes into view,
or at some other point thereabouts, for reasons unknown your atoms will close
you down, then silently disassemble and go off to be other things. And that’s it for you.
It is a fascinating perspective on death.
Could spark a hotly contested debate - I wonder how Bill Bryson (who I rate very highly) would explain the spirit.
ReplyDeleteWhatever his view of spirit, it would be beautifully expressed! To be fair to Bill, the book is about science and not death, so I don't think he explored that. I've just started reading the book, but I suspect it will be slow progress...I wish I had paid more attention in school!
ReplyDeleteI have had it in my 'to be read' pile since it came out. It goes with me whenever we go away, gets carried to the beach, taken into the garden on sunny days ... and I've still not got beyond the first chapter. It is an Awfully Big Book.
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