December 29, 2014
(This is part of a 365
project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's
gift.)
Today on a Naval Academy tour with our great-nephew Jadon from
Florida, he remarked how much he liked the symmetry of Bancroft Hall in the
yard (as the Naval Academy campus is called.) A pair of equidistant facing cannons
at the courtyard entrance and another balanced pair near the front door
pointing outward. One side was a mirror of the other.
Before that, we had visited the Maryland State House where I
had looked up at the dome and taken a photo, struck by the dome’s symmetry, not
only in its architecture but also in the role that light played. I saw the past,
the inside of the dome, and at the same time saw the present, today’s light
reflecting inside. It was a beautiful balance and it reminded me of how
symmetry is reflected all around us—human bodies, the brain, flowers,
snowflakes. Life seems to seek balance: light and shadow, male and female, past
and present, birth and death.
Epicurus, a philosopher from around 300 B.C., presented a
symmetry argument concerning birth and death for those who fear death. They
should think about where they were before they were born and consider a mirror
of that for after death. Epicurus said that the “past infinity of pre-natal
non-existence is like the future infinity of post-mortem non-existence.”
I continue my symmetry every day as I inhale and then
exhale.
Today’s gift is
symmetry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch this fascinating three-minute conceptual video on
symmetry:
You can read my other posts on this project here:
No comments:
Post a Comment
This space for your comments: