Maurice vomits every morning just slowly until night prevails

Artist's impression of Pluto showing one of its large moons that never sets

In our family, this mnemonic was how we remembered the planets and their order in terms of distance from the sun.  Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.  My eldest brother Maurice has a sensitive stomach so this saying was close enough to the truth to make it easier to remember.  

Imagine my upset when in 2002 new data processing technologies discovered a series of planet-like objects orbiting the sun close to the orbit of Pluto.  This included Eris, Haumea, Makemake, Gonggong, Quaoar, Sedna and Orcus.  Indeed, one of them Eris is about the same size as Pluto.  However, Pluto is only 1/400th the size of Earth and is even smaller than our moon.  This bunch of objects along with Pluto were renamed dwarf planets instead of planets.  Planets were redefined as objects that met three critical requirements

(a) is in orbit around the Sun

(b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape

(c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

It is the last of these requirements clearing the space around it that these dwarf planets fail to do.  One look at the Kuiper Belt indicates a failure of good housekeeping, it is far too messy. The strong gravitational field around a real planet serves to either capture, attract or perturb smaller objects around it. Those objects that pass the first two criteria but fail the third were renamed dwarf planets. 

No one really cared about these newcomers being downgraded to dwarf status but for some reason, a lot of people got really upset about Pluto no longer being a proper planet.  Pluto was found to have five moons of its own but did have an unusual orbit. All the other planets have orbits that lie as if on the surface of a plate extending out around the sun but Pluto has this weird tilted orbit going on.  

The Kuiper Belt where Pluto resides is one of the largest structures in our solar system.  It is like a huge donut, vast, mysterious and cold and dark.  Much, much further out there is another structure called the Oort Cloud, a spherical region of icy comet-like bodies and both the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud are sources of comets.  

Obviously, Pluto this black sheep of the family, was not only devoid of good housekeeping but deliberately ignoring the basic rules of the solar system.  

All those years ago I resented that my family mnemonic had been messed about by forces beyond our control.  But actually, comets have been having an incredible impact on our solar system over history. Take for example the Chicxulub comet which impacted 66 million years ago in Mexico. It created a crater 93 miles across and 12 miles deep.  It caused the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth.  A recently published scientific paper has managed to connect 5 out of 6 mass extinctions of life with times of enhanced impact cratering on Earth.  The author concluded with the frank but frightening statement, “This cosmic cycle of death and destruction has without doubt affected the history of life on our planet.”

Worryingly Jupiter, which is 300 times the size of the Earth, has been found to act a bit like a huge pinball machine in defecting incoming long-period comets into orbits close to the sun and our vicinity.  Halley’s comet, which comes from the Oort Cloud revisits every 75/76 years and was first recorded in 240 BC and has been recorded since on innumerable other occasions like 1066 on the Bayeux tapestry. Mark Twain famously said he came into the world with the arrival of Halley’s Comet and would go out with the next. In his autobiography, published in 1909, he said,

“I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.” 

Twain died on 21 April 1910, the day following the comet's subsequent perihelion.

There are also many other striking features of comets that should be recorded.

The Hale Bopp Comet is large at 35 km in diameter and has a really long orbit.  It passed Earth in 2215 BC and didn't return until 1997.  The next time it comes our way will be 4385, so a long wait.  In the 6th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Pepi II which coincided with the 2215BC comet appearance, his pyramid has text mentioning a star appearing.  This star is particularly noticeable, after all, it is 6 times the size of Halley's Comet and in its 1997 flyby, it became the brightest comet for decades and was visible for twice as long (18.5 months) as the Great Comet of 1811.  Sadly such evident celestial signs in the sky are often misinterpreted here on Earth.  In the case of the Hale Bopp Comet, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate Movement in the US committed mass suicide in March 1997 with the goal of teleporting to a spaceship they believed to be behind the comet.

In Jan 2004 NASA’s Stardust probe flew within 236km of comet Wild2, which is 5km in diameter, and managed to capture samples from its trail.  These were returned to earth and found to contain glycine a fundamental building block of life. Perhaps comets as well as taking life have also contributed life to planets? 

On 4th July 2005, NASA’s Deep Impact probe fired a washing machine-sized object into the path of the comet Tempel 1.  It created a hole in the comet the size of a football stadium.  This comet is 6km in size and orbits every 5/6 years.

The European Space Probe in 2014 managed to put a lander on the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and there is actually a video of what it captured on the surface of this comet!  It blew my mind to see this clip. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/67P/Churyumov%E2%80%93Gerasimenko#/media/File:67P_Churyumov-Gerasimenko_surface.gif

Given that comets and asteroids are prone to come flying Earth’s way with depressing regularity it is heartening to see someone practicing what to do if we manage to spot one on a collision course towards us in time. Just last year in 2022, after 10 months of flying in space, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) successfully impacted the asteroid Dimorphos. This asteroid was no danger to us but it proved that it was possible to move an asteroid in space and it succeeded in deflecting its course. You can watch a video of this collision here https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test. Perhaps there is a part of you, like me, hoping they don’t nudge one into a collision course with earth while practicing!

Mind you we shouldn’t resent these impacts as there is evidence that a powerful impact on Earth probably created the moon around 4.1-3.8 billion years ago.  Without the moon’s tidal impacts on our sea, life as we know it may not have even begun. As a recent Scientific American article put it, “…the lineages that ultimately gave rise to humans were at first intertidal.”  Without those specific regions of the seashore, that are covered at high tide and uncovered at low tide, the viable condition for life may not have occurred.  Even more compelling is current scientific theories suggesting that all the water on Earth was acquired from water-rich comets or asteroids hurled here by the influence of Jupiter. When we talk of the ‘water of life’ perhaps we need to be grateful for Jupiter’s pinball nature.  Jupiter’s huge gravitational field in some ways also protects Earth as it also acts as the vacuum cleaner of the solar system sucking in some asteroids and comets.  One confirmation of this is the fate of the comet Shoemaker Levy-9 which hit the giant planet Jupiter in 1994.  This struck with the force of 300 million atomic bombs and left traces of water in Jupiter’s atmosphere reinforcing both Jupiter’s protection role but also proving the ability of comets to donate water to planets. 

Possibly, amidst all the chaos of flying objects and collisions, both destructive and constructive, life finds a way.  Perhaps, like in the rest of the Cosmos, things can arrive in our own lives unexpectedly and devastate what we hold dear.  We just have to hope that something in that pain and chaos may contribute to our future growth and development.

“… this endless universe is like the human body, and … all its parts are connected one with another and are linked together in the utmost perfection.”

‘Abdu’l Bahá

Signs of a better future give a new direction and hope

There is a gradual diffusion of a spirit of world solidarity arising spontaneously out of our disorganised and seemingly disintegrating society. It is fueled by the fundamental principle of the oneness of humanity and whatever the country, politics, religion, culture, gender or even age-old customs signs of this solidarity are emerging around the world.  It is worth examining these signs and understanding each of their implications. However, even more, important is their interactions because although each is powerful in their own right as they begin to show evidence of synchronicity their impact will grow exponentially.  At a time when despair is rampant and disunity strident these signs of a better future give a new direction and hope.

1. World Citizenship -  What is it? A global citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world - and their place in it. What does it mean? They take an active role in their community and work with others to make our planet more equal, fair and sustainable.

This kind of citizen forms their own understanding of world events.

They reflect on their values and what's important to them.

Having reflected they take the important step of acting in the real world around them.

They are ready and prepared to challenge ignorance and intolerance in society.

Their involvement in local, national and global communities means they help shape a wider society than just their family.

They can consult with others, voice their own opinions while also listening to others.

They are convinced they have the power to act and influence the world around them.

“All of Creation is related.
And the hurt of one is the hurt of all.
And the honour of one is the honour of all.
And whatever we do affects everything in the universe.”

Passed down from White Buffalo Calf Woman

    2.  Environmental Awareness – What is it?  Environmental awareness is an ideology that evokes the necessity and responsibility of humans to respect, protect, and preserve the natural world. What does it entail? It involves working for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment. It requires an understanding of how the global earth system works and how the impact of major changes on that environment impacts on the health of humans, animals, plants and even the quality of our air, water and soil.

“Treat the earth well: 

it was not given to you by your parents, 

it was loaned to you by your children. 

We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, 

we borrow it from our Children.”

 – Tribe Unknown

3.     Promotion of public health – What is it? It means building a better, healthier future for people all over the world.  It will mean working across all countries to contribute to achieving better health for everyone, everywhere. How is it achieved?  It means working together worldwide, as never before, striving to combat diseases – communicable diseases like influenza and HIV, and noncommunicable diseases like cancer and heart disease.  It will result in mothers and children not only surviving but thriving so they can look forward to a healthy old age. Ensuring the safety of the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink – and the medicines and vaccines we may need. 

One example of what can be achieved by a unified public health initiative is smallpox. It was declared eradicated in 1980 following a global immunization campaign led by the World Health Organization. Smallpox is transmitted from person to person via infective droplets during close contact with infected symptomatic people. Because of its highly infectious nature, smallpox was a devastating disease which killed a third of those it infected.  It was wiped off the face of the earth through vaccination carried out in a global campaign. We must not forget that an estimated 300 million people died from smallpox in the 20th century alone.  This was no small accomplishment.

Smallpox is not the only success. Rinderpest, a disease of livestock, has also been eradicated. This worldwide approach is now targeting more diseases with the same objective (poliomyelitis, yaws, dracunculiasis and malaria).  Knowing that such campaigns, which rely on cooperation across the face of the planet, can be such game-changers is a bright light in a dark world.

“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.” 

– Dakota

     4.  Concern for human rights - Historians are strangely in agreement that one of the great achievements of the twentieth century was the establishment of global standards for human rights along with international machinery to monitor human rights violations, to encourage compliance by governments with these standards, and to ensure that there is no safe haven for criminals who commit the gravest atrocities against their fellow human beings. The linchpins of this system are the U.N. Charter, adopted on June 26, 1945, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on December 10, 1948. The Universal Declaration affirms in its preamble that it is intended to serve as a “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” Before the adoption of the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration governments had been tentative in recognizing that all human beings have certain inalienable rights; instead, the rights of individuals were viewed as primarily a domestic concern.

But these achievements, although steps forward, are not without limitations. Perhaps the most important drawback of the current system is how ineffective it has been in providing relief to human rights victims – and preventing them from becoming victims in the first place. The horrific truth is that every day countless human beings suffer gross human rights violations.  It highlights the fact that even worldwide charters and declarations shorn of sufficient power to implement protection of human rights will not suffice.

“For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind? God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, and punish the wrong-doers.”

Bahá'í writings

      5. Universal Education – What does it mean? It seeks to ensure that all have equal access to education, regardless of their social class, gender, ethnicity background or physical and mental disabilities.  Progress has been made on this goal however universal primary education has been a major problem for developing states as they do not have sufficient financial resources to build schools, provide books and other materials, and recruit, train, and pay teachers. The Sub-Saharan African region is the most affected region as 32 million African children are still uneducated. However, commentators noted that universal access to education remains an attainable goal by 2030. It is heartening to know this important goal, with long term dividends for us all and subsequent generations can be achieved.

“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

- Iroquois Maxim (circa 1700-1800)

          6.   Interfaith Activities - Means cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels.  One early example of this was The Parliament of Religions opened on 11 September 1893 in Chicago.  It included Faiths such as Jain, Zen, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Bahá'í Faith among others.  Despite these efforts to break down barriers between religions just over two decades later World 1 would break out.  Along with the subsequent loss of life moral standards were severely challenged by the atrocities perpetrated under the veil of warfare.  If spiritual living is about trying to raise standards of behaviour both in personal life and community living, war seems ever to degrade the nobility of humanity.  

   Often religious prejudices can fuel the differences between people, across nations and inflame intolerance.  Interfaith education in schools has proven highly effective in engendering respect for all religions (and for those with none) and if carried out properly can inoculate a growing generation against the infection of “otherness” that permits injustice to be perpetrated.

"There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions"

Hans Küng, a Professor of Ecumenical Theology and President of the Global Ethic Foundation. 

7.  Social Activities in localities -  There is a toxic mindset that incapacitates positive tackling of problems facing local communities.  Partly, it proceeds for the erroneous idea that change should only happen from the top down.  Governments, politicians, rulers, leaders of industry/finance/social services etc. are delegated responsibility which bypasses the individual initiative that could take action.  It was not always so.  

   Community living, especially in villages, used to be much more proactive.  In such close-knit communities’ personal connections meant the vulnerable were cared for, issues facing the community were discussed and tackled with greater or less success.  In a modern increasingly isolated way of life more young, old, ill are falling through the gaps of overstretched government services.  Thankfully, for most people, there is still a mental memory of a different way of living from a generation or so ago.  When individuals are not just allowed but encouraged to play their role in service to their local community a new mindset emerges.  Such empowerment can even be lifesaving.  It also inspires others to follow suit.

      It is important to recognize an unhealthy self-obsessed mindset is as unhealthy to each individual as it is to the society around them.  This habit of service to others is a recipe for a healthier citizen.  Every individual, and more specifically the junior youth, when encouraged into acts of service to their local community find their place both physically and mentally in a distracted materialistic world.  More importantly, they find they can, impact positively to make real changes to the community around them.  Instead of being caught up in the negative forces junior youth literally find their footing in service and are transformed.

Local efforts in the area of development seek to promote social and material well-being of people of all walks of life, whatever their beliefs or background. Such endeavours are motivated by the desire to serve humanity and contribute to constructive social change. Together they represent a growing process of learning concerned with the application of action along with knowledge accumulated in different fields of human endeavour, to social reality. Social action can be consolidated by the conviction that every population has the right and responsibility to mark out the path of its own progress. Indeed, every people and nation has to have a vital contribution to make in constructing a new society characterized by principles such as harmony, justice, and prosperity.

“And the honour and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world’s multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight. . ..”

Bahá'í writings

To be part of this wholesome transformation that is reflective of the oneness of humanity it is useful to contemplate your beginning, your life, your end and what you want your legacy will be. This American Indian saying nicely captures it.

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice. – Cherokee

Breasts, silicon and Stuff!

Okay this one will not go down well with most people but I remember it all well and can't help smiling when I think back to it all.

The Steed of This Valley is Pain

My friend Anna was exhausted and drained when she stepped into my car carefully, protecting her sore side, and finding it difficult to manage her handbag and the door handle at the same time.  She had had her breast removed along with her glands under her arm the weekend before and, although healing well, was still coping with the shock and pain of it all.  It had only been two weeks previously that she had been blissfully unaware of any health problems.  Everything had happened so terrifyingly quickly and coping was the order of the day.  She had decided to only tell close friends and had been hurt by some of the reactions.  One friend had phoned a day later in tears saying she couldn’t afford to lose Anna as she was one of her few friends on the island.  The selfishness of that thought hurt.  As did the endless tales of others who had also had cancer.  One middle-aged lady had told her that they had buried a thirteen-year-old neighbour the week previously who had died of cancer and the family had buried her hair with her.  Confused Anna had asked, "Sorry, her hair?" And the response came, "Yes, you know she lost it all during the chemotherapy and they had kept the hair as it fell out, so they buried it with her, so sad”.  What bewildered Anna was the reason this lady had felt compelled to share this anecdote with someone who had herself been just diagnosed with cancer.  Was it hurtfulness or insensitivity? 

But people respond to situations differently and often they say or do the wrong thing but mean no harm.  Illness and death are somehow taboo and not many of us are trained in how to handle either with grace or wisdom.  One elderly Greek neighbour had fallen from the balcony of their second floor flat onto the cement below and was lying bleeding on the ground while relatives ran screaming around the road and waving their arms in the air.  While the ambulance was on its way one relative got into his car and frantically tried to do a U-turn and instead crashed into a nearby tree leaving a huge dent in his car.  Meanwhile the elderly husband howled in clear Greek something to the effect that his wife was dead and who would look after him now.  At the time I had wanted to hit him on the head with a shovel for his tactlessness but in hindsight the reason the grandson crashed the car was the great desire to do something to help.  The husband only said what he said probably because his wife was the most important thing in his life and the thought of losing her terrifying. 

But it is no conciliation to the poor sufferer who not only has to cope with the pain and loss but also the seeming stupidity of everyone around them.  As Anna leaned back in the car seat she sighed with exhaustion and I asked, ‘where do you want to go?’  ‘Home’, she murmured and we headed off to her house a few miles along the coast. She’d come to town by bus to see her doctor, had become too tired, and so had phoned me to pick her up from the town.  As we travelled she told me about her day.  Her doctor had told her of a chemist in Rhodes which sold false breasts and had phoned them before Anna’s visit to explain what she needed.  When she’d reached the chemist it had been full of people and, in front of everyone, the owner had, in a loud voice, started explaining that Anna was too small.  Her breast size was size one and they only stocked from size four and up.  In tones implying below that size there wasn’t much point.  If she wanted to order a silicon one however it would cost 45,000 drahmas( approx eighty pounds).  All of this was done at the top of his voice. Foreigners are often thought to only understand Greek if you shout, and to her horror Anna burst into tears.  In a chemist full of strangers, she cried and cried, partly from frustration, partly from embarrassment, but mostly from grief and loss.  A part of her had been taken away and only she was really aware of how much that hurt.  I was furious and upset at the insensitivity of the chemist.  What a berk.  Just imagine him being so thoughtless. 

I was mentioning this event to another friend of mine, an English girl, called Lisa.  Lisa is from the north, a real Yorkshire lass, with an accent that feels like a bread and butter marmite sandwich.  Sometimes when I get homesick here in Greece, just listening to her accent can bring a comfort.  She’s also fearless and can curse most wonderfully in fluent Greek.  Once when we were in the supermarket we returned to her car to find some thoughtless driver had blocked it in.  So there we stood with groceries and small children, stuck because some idiot had double-parked.  When the driver eventually returned he spotted two foreign women and gave us a dismissive wave before jumping in his car.  My Greek is non- existent in such circumstances.  But fortunately Lisa’s is not and she let rip.  The poor guy was pole axed.  He actually went pale and I began to feel quite sorry for him.  He learned a valuable lesson that day as he apologised most profusely and grovelled most satisfyingly.  It helps that Lisa is tall and a former policewoman who you feel sure could put an arm lock on you and frog march you across the channel tunnel if she felt inclined.  I made the mistake of mentioning the chemist incident to her and she was outraged.  She was also proactive.  She started a campaign against the chemist. 

She got her many Greek relatives involved and even more foreign women married to Greeks on the island.  She went in and asked to see the largest silicon penis he had.  Not only that but all her accomplices did the same.  Even some relatives who live in a village 8 km from Rhodes got involved.  People that I thought far too respectable to dream of saying penis in public went to the poor chemist and did the deed.  By the time I had worked up courage to do it, he had been polite and yet insistent, ’No we don’t stock penis’s, who told you we did?’  Next week the tourist season began and tourists will do anything for a laugh.  A bunch of Dutch ladies staying at a friend’s hotel thought it a terrific gag and told some others.  A Finnish lady on a week’s holiday waited until her last day before requesting a penis in heavily accented English.  Somehow the thing just snowballed from there. 

Greek friends in Archangelos, a village on Rhodes, heard of the challenge and went to request in their distinctive Greek accents ‘the largest silicon penis you stock’.  It became a symbol of revolution among the youth, who I have to say, were the only group who managed to rope in both boys and girls.  Until they took over it had been a purely female resistance movement.  It was several months later when an unusual sign appeared on the chemist’s counter.  A discrete typewritten sign sellotaped to the till read ‘We do not stock silicon penis’s’.  Anna had just received the all clear from her tests and news of this and the note spread like wildfire.  Lisa was triumphant and the rest of us crowed in contentment.  Such a silly thing.  We who all know the story have a peculiar fondness for that sign and take obscure pleasure from its presence.  A symbol of resistance in difficult days and a moment of shared fun during a tough period.