I realise I miss being superstitious… I’m not talking about religion or horoscope or other such nonsense, good riddance.
I’m talking about four leaf clovers, picking flower petals and thinking “she loves me, she loves me not”, “making a wish on a falling star”, flipping a coin in a wish fountain, thinking that because something(s) happened many times when you wear a particular T-shirt that’s your lucky T-shirt and if I wear it again chances are for that to happen again :-)
There’s an enthusiasm about new starts – most of the times – I imagine. I remember for my self a joy and serenity in the possibilities that I could see in a new start, be it small or big, professional or personal.
Sometimes those possibilities seam like a huge projection, sometimes I suppose they are. Maybe sometimes specifically because it is a huge projection it gets so bitter when you fail to nourish that projection and the value that it had or could have had.
A feeling of shame can follow, resent, maybe loss of confidence, vulnerability… All of these are things we’ve learned to stay away from, block as much as possible. A survival of the fittest instinct makes us detect these as enemies and apparently we reject the source entirely. We’ve grown skeptic in a way, so much so that we hesitate to believe easily, we fear we’ll make a mistake and be vulnerable again, we fear it’ll be foolish or that others will think we’re foolish and we might loose more then there might be to gain.
So… probably denial or a weird state of tranquility in which we try to focus on something else, preferably something that will help us grow, in this world that promotes the strongest, in this soup à la Darwin, which is totally understandable actually.
Then, I suppose there are other reasons also, less dramatic or melodramatic. Reasons that gets us sometimes to not be keen in continuing something, or to realise there’s no sense in continuing something. Sometimes we just don’t know how to continue something, perhaps overwhelmed, perhaps frightened, perhaps bored, perhaps eager to do something else, to find, learn and understand new things, new places. What ever the reasons, one can sometimes leave unfinished things on a shelve with the thought that it’ll be taken care of later or sometime, or by someone else or by itself.
I’m not proud to admit I save several such things on a shelve. And this series is one of them, ironically enough the last episode that I had announced, more then two years ago, had this title set then. I knew.
I realise sometimes it’s difficult to finish some things. But I reckon is better to stay away from developing a habit to not finish things.
A song I love has between the lyrics: “every new beginning comes form some other beginning’s end” (Semisonic – Closing time). My realisation is that if you don’t really finish something, that possible new beginning might be getting just a part of what you could offer in your attempt to make the most of it, to value it as you might have hoped or projected at one point.
I recommend you check your shelves or perhaps clean your closet sounds more familiar. It can be liberating, sometimes at least. It could be a closure you never had or never offered to someone, an unfinished ensemble of a miniature airplane model, a project, a confession… whatever it is, it can retain un unfinished part of your self. If you’ve realised it’s best unfinished, make it official and leave the shelf free. You might use some more space for things you’re currently focused on, or would probably feel better to change the label by removing the ‘un’ prefix.
În ultimul timp “împărtășesc” foarte mult un îndemn de conștientizare a contextului nostru cosmic, prin fragmente din seria Cosmos sau alte citate – Carl Sagan sau de pe pagini facebook precum “Science is awesome” sau altele. Însă îmi dau seama că nu toată lumea dintre cei cărora le e adresat îndemnul poate să îl înțeleagă datorită ne-înțelegerii limbii engleze. De aceea am făcut această traducere. Vă rog să îmi spuneți daca aveți sugestii de îmbunătățiri sau este ceva greșit. (originalul în engleză e și mai jos).
Carl Sagan ~ extras din seria ‘Cosmos’ (traducere personală)
“Dimensiunea și vârsta Cosmosului sunt dincolo de înțelegerea umană obișnuită.
Pierdută undeva între imensitate și eternitate este mica noastră casă planetară.
Într-o perspectivă cosmică, cele mai multe preocupări umane par nesemnificative, chiar – meschine. Și totuși, specia noastră este tânără, curioasă și curajosă, și cu mult potențial promițător. În ultimele câteva milenii am făcut cele mai uimitoare și neașteptate descoperiri despre Cosmos și locul nostru în el, explorări extraordinare – ce ne îndeamană să luăm în considerare o realitate entuziastmantă – înveselătoare.
Acestea ne reamintesc că oamenii au evoluat spre a întreba și cerceta, că înțelegerea (științifică) este o bucurie, iar cunoașterea este o necesitate esențială pentru supraviețuire. Cred că viitorul nostru depinde de cât de bine cunoaștem acest Cosmos în care plutim ca un fir de praf în cerul dimineții.Suprafața Pământului este malul oceanului cosmic. Pe acest mal, am aflat cele mai multe din ceea ce știm. Recent, am înaintat un pic mai in larg, poate pana la gleznă, și apa pare primitoare (sa ne invite sa mergem mai departe). O parte din ființa noastră știe că de aici (din Cosmos) am ajuns să fim. Tânjim să revenim (la/în Cosmos), și putem, deoarece Cosmosul este de asemenea în noi. Suntem făcuți din praf stelar. Suntem o modalitate a cosmosului de a se cunoaște pe sine.”
Originalul:
“The size and age of the Cosmos are beyond ordinary human understanding. Lost somewhere between immensity and eternity is our tiny planetary home. In a cosmic perspective, most human concerns seem insignificant, even petty. And yet our species is young and curious and brave and shows much promise. In the last few millennia we have made the most astonishing and unexpected discoveries about the Cosmos and our place within it, explorations that are exhilarating to consider. They remind us that humans have evolved to wonder, that understanding is a joy, that knowledge is prerequisite to survival. I believe our future depends on how well we know this Cosmos in which we float like a mote of dust in the morning sky.
The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore, we’ve learned most of what we know. Recently, we’ve waded a little way out, maybe ankle-deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”