Elliot, deep, insightful, pretty amazing actually. Thank you. It led me to ponder the gravity of our political situation as well as to consider how most people on earth live their lives, burdened and pulled down by forces beyond their control. We US citizens who care about life would do well to remember how good life is even in the presence of strife and to prioritize compassion for our fellow humans. how grave my situation would be without voices of sanity and reason such as yours.
Your comment is as eloquent as Elliot’s column. By adding our current political situation under the umbrella of “gravity” you’ve extended all the components Elliot included and are reminding me / us that the interconnectedness of these elements exert as strong a pull as gravity itself - a pull of a different nature. Thanks, Elaine.
It’s also a fact that cannot be turned by science deniers. Without gravity, and to your reference immigrants laboring for greater good, we would not have the life we currently enjoy. Thank you for this reminder.
Oooh my goodness that is a nice thing to say. I love being part, if only in a one sentence kind of way, with such intelligent conversationalist!!! We must keep thinking!!!🤔
I just LOVE this analogy. One's own gravitational pull attracts like minds AND unlike minds to critical thinking.
"For those who took physics back in school, we might remember that gravity is determined by the mass of objects in relation to each other. We all have our own center of gravity. This force determines our weight on Earth and how it would be different on other celestial bodies. Think of those indelible images of astronauts skipping across the lunar surface."
Thanks for this eloquent post, Elliot. I was so moved by your reflection on the particular lives lost: “I thought about how strong the gravitational pull of desperate hope must be for those willing to risk leaving home in search of a better life.” ALL who have the privilege of being citizens of the USA would do well to remember that except for the Native Americans and their descendants we are here because we or our forebears were willing to risk leaving home in search of a better life. There’s more than enough room in our country and our economy for others whose home countries deny them safety.
Hi Veronica, there are so many who think as I do about the importance of welcoming into our country those whose safety, hopes, rights, and needs couldn’t be assured in their home country. It’s up to us to work together to protect our democracy for all in the USA. I know many who, like you, came here to study and / or to escape oppression. Congratulations on 58 years here!
I really like this, Elliot. I have written about gravity myself, on Walking on God. I love that it is a mysterious force, and although considered weak it holds entire solar systems together. I love that it pulls us in, and toward, everything else in the universe. You have captured both the subject and this moment in history with your beautiful piece. Thank you.
Although slightly verbose, WELL SAID. 22 years US Navy; hard to imagine the horror on the ship’s bridge. Dear public: each crewman will relive this in nightmares; forever.
What literally popped into my mind when I started reading this, partly because of my age, is an occasional loss of balance. There many instances where failing and falling are woven together in plain sight . The failure of the ship resulted in the falling of the bridge. My fear of failing to maintain my balance and my fear of failing are inextricably related. We would be wise to understand how not to lose our balance so that we fail and fall as a nation.
Oops. I’ll finish that thought. A bridge to the way we are all connected in tangible ways—at once mighty like steel and fragile like a dropped cell phone. May we all remember both.
“The forces that shape the world in which we live are also those that allow us to exist in the first place. We should honor them along with the precariousness of life, physical and otherwise.” Thank you for your wise words. I hope enough of us evolve to embrace this truth.
Elliot, beautiful and insightful as always. Since I’ve entered the last quarter of my life, I have read with deep gratitude those musings that focus on the meaning and purpose of life. Your musing adds direction and grounding in the existential reality that we find every waking moment, the drops of rain that become a river and eventually return to the sea. Heard somewhere; “Everyone knows there are drops in the ocean, but few understand that the ocean is in the drops.”
I love this post . We gravitate toward a better more productive life everyday .I write. I wrote a prose titled "We Gravitate ". If we all could just not resist the good forces in our lives and recognize when they are as such . Gravity has long amazed me too . No one expected the twin towers to fall like they did . I was analyzing the bridge and wondering how did all the sections come down all at once . Guess that's a investigation to be solved. In the meantime , We Gravitate!
Love this post, Elliot, and all the variations of meaning we give to the word gravity. Most of us just see the broken bridge as just another tragedy. You see the deeper meaning of the tragedy for the world in which we live. No wonder you're such a great journalist
Elliot, your writing extolls the magic and unintended events when humans repurpose the physics inherent in gravity. Planets cooperate in the heavens, planes fly, water falls, and we walk tethered to our planet all with the grace of gravity.
Elliot, deep, insightful, pretty amazing actually. Thank you. It led me to ponder the gravity of our political situation as well as to consider how most people on earth live their lives, burdened and pulled down by forces beyond their control. We US citizens who care about life would do well to remember how good life is even in the presence of strife and to prioritize compassion for our fellow humans. how grave my situation would be without voices of sanity and reason such as yours.
Your comment is as eloquent as Elliot’s column. By adding our current political situation under the umbrella of “gravity” you’ve extended all the components Elliot included and are reminding me / us that the interconnectedness of these elements exert as strong a pull as gravity itself - a pull of a different nature. Thanks, Elaine.
Irna, thank you for your kind words. I am always looking for connections in life. There are so many.
It’s also a fact that cannot be turned by science deniers. Without gravity, and to your reference immigrants laboring for greater good, we would not have the life we currently enjoy. Thank you for this reminder.
I wish more people though like you! Thank you!
Oooh my goodness that is a nice thing to say. I love being part, if only in a one sentence kind of way, with such intelligent conversationalist!!! We must keep thinking!!!🤔
I just LOVE this analogy. One's own gravitational pull attracts like minds AND unlike minds to critical thinking.
"For those who took physics back in school, we might remember that gravity is determined by the mass of objects in relation to each other. We all have our own center of gravity. This force determines our weight on Earth and how it would be different on other celestial bodies. Think of those indelible images of astronauts skipping across the lunar surface."
Thanks for this eloquent post, Elliot. I was so moved by your reflection on the particular lives lost: “I thought about how strong the gravitational pull of desperate hope must be for those willing to risk leaving home in search of a better life.” ALL who have the privilege of being citizens of the USA would do well to remember that except for the Native Americans and their descendants we are here because we or our forebears were willing to risk leaving home in search of a better life. There’s more than enough room in our country and our economy for others whose home countries deny them safety.
I came to the USA in 1966 as an 18 years old student. Full of hope and dreams. People like you restore my faith that there maybe hope for América.
Hi Veronica, there are so many who think as I do about the importance of welcoming into our country those whose safety, hopes, rights, and needs couldn’t be assured in their home country. It’s up to us to work together to protect our democracy for all in the USA. I know many who, like you, came here to study and / or to escape oppression. Congratulations on 58 years here!
Thank you for the supportive comment.
I really like this, Elliot. I have written about gravity myself, on Walking on God. I love that it is a mysterious force, and although considered weak it holds entire solar systems together. I love that it pulls us in, and toward, everything else in the universe. You have captured both the subject and this moment in history with your beautiful piece. Thank you.
Although slightly verbose, WELL SAID. 22 years US Navy; hard to imagine the horror on the ship’s bridge. Dear public: each crewman will relive this in nightmares; forever.
I can't imagine what they are going through. And only slightly verbose? :) Thank you James for being here and offering your insights.
That's a beautiful reminder James. I'm sure not too many had thought about so thanks for the wake up call.
I hate to disagree with "slightly verbose". Beautifully written.
What literally popped into my mind when I started reading this, partly because of my age, is an occasional loss of balance. There many instances where failing and falling are woven together in plain sight . The failure of the ship resulted in the falling of the bridge. My fear of failing to maintain my balance and my fear of failing are inextricably related. We would be wise to understand how not to lose our balance so that we fail and fall as a nation.
The second “failing” in the 4th sentence in my comment should have been “falling.” My failure!
Noticed but understood what you meant to say!.
Oops. I’ll finish that thought. A bridge to the way we are all connected in tangible ways—at once mighty like steel and fragile like a dropped cell phone. May we all remember both.
“The forces that shape the world in which we live are also those that allow us to exist in the first place. We should honor them along with the precariousness of life, physical and otherwise.” Thank you for your wise words. I hope enough of us evolve to embrace this truth.
Thank you. Much to ponder and be grateful for.
Thank you Rosemary.
Elliot, beautiful and insightful as always. Since I’ve entered the last quarter of my life, I have read with deep gratitude those musings that focus on the meaning and purpose of life. Your musing adds direction and grounding in the existential reality that we find every waking moment, the drops of rain that become a river and eventually return to the sea. Heard somewhere; “Everyone knows there are drops in the ocean, but few understand that the ocean is in the drops.”
I love this post . We gravitate toward a better more productive life everyday .I write. I wrote a prose titled "We Gravitate ". If we all could just not resist the good forces in our lives and recognize when they are as such . Gravity has long amazed me too . No one expected the twin towers to fall like they did . I was analyzing the bridge and wondering how did all the sections come down all at once . Guess that's a investigation to be solved. In the meantime , We Gravitate!
Love this post, Elliot, and all the variations of meaning we give to the word gravity. Most of us just see the broken bridge as just another tragedy. You see the deeper meaning of the tragedy for the world in which we live. No wonder you're such a great journalist
Elliot, your writing extolls the magic and unintended events when humans repurpose the physics inherent in gravity. Planets cooperate in the heavens, planes fly, water falls, and we walk tethered to our planet all with the grace of gravity.
Thank you Rose for that beautiful burst of poetic prose.
Lovely piece
Thank you Elliot for all of your thoughts 💕