Back to spec. vs the universe

The road has been teaching me a lot. Two particular incidents illuminated the subject I was pondering in my first post, being a separate spec in the giant universe and being connected to it. These incidents being traffic and dead bugs. It is so much easier for me to grasp the idea and sense of being a lowly, lonely insignificant spec, a blip in the grand limitless universe but I think the spec is the illusion rather than the latter.

Traveling in my car at this distance is showing me that there is just no way to escape that we are dependent and interdependent. Even if you wanted, even if you tried, you could not be alone or insignificant. Everything we do has influence. Back to the bugs and the traffic jam.

Somewhere in Illinois three-tractor trailer trucks collided, for some reason, blocking the two lanes of interstate 90 west. Needless to say, the road remained hopelessly jammed and blocked for hours and miles. After I had sat in traffic for over an hour, I followed the other industrious travelers, crossed the median and headed back east to an alternate route.
As I headed back I was aghast at the length of the back up. Twenty thirty miles it was. All those people stuck. Stuck together.

And the bugs. Upon arriving in Sioux Falls SD I was inspecting the cargo carrier that had been expertly attached to my roof and was aghast again to see its front plastered, tinted from a nice clean beige to grey, with all manner of insects. I couldn’t be insignificant if I tried.

So, next time I am gazing up at a starlit sky or down from an airplane I may remark to myself in stead of “wow, I am so tiny and insignificant in this thing” to “Oooh, daddy! I sure am part of something super-duper SPEC-TACULAR.

Note: if you don’t believe dead bugs and traffic jams are important see Happenstance.