The problem with miracles is that they postulate the exceptionality of some things but not others. Yes, the Big Ring is truly miraculous; but what about the Milky Way? What about our own Sun? What about the flowers outside my window? Each of these phenomena has been seen as miraculous or infused with the spirit of divinity by some cultures and some people. William Blake described his ability "To see a world in a grain of sand. And a heaven in a wild flower." This is the human imagination. You may see it as a spark of the divine or as a transcendent human capacity born of evolution. Either way, the world is full of miracles for those who are willing to look.
I love the William Blake quote! Thanks for your thoughtful response.
I think it’s very interesting that though we’ve demystified the things ancient people once found wondrous, like the Sun, we keep uncovering new mysteries to replace them. We know how the Sun works and what it is, so maybe it’s not ‘miraculous anymore’, but now we have quantum physics and the Big Ring to marvel at! I can only imagine that the pattern will hold as we apply ourselves to solving these mysteries as well. To me, it supports the idea that there’s something else out there, making itself known. Its manner of self-revelation has changed over millennia because we’ve changed.
The problem with miracles is that they postulate the exceptionality of some things but not others. Yes, the Big Ring is truly miraculous; but what about the Milky Way? What about our own Sun? What about the flowers outside my window? Each of these phenomena has been seen as miraculous or infused with the spirit of divinity by some cultures and some people. William Blake described his ability "To see a world in a grain of sand. And a heaven in a wild flower." This is the human imagination. You may see it as a spark of the divine or as a transcendent human capacity born of evolution. Either way, the world is full of miracles for those who are willing to look.
I love the William Blake quote! Thanks for your thoughtful response.
I think it’s very interesting that though we’ve demystified the things ancient people once found wondrous, like the Sun, we keep uncovering new mysteries to replace them. We know how the Sun works and what it is, so maybe it’s not ‘miraculous anymore’, but now we have quantum physics and the Big Ring to marvel at! I can only imagine that the pattern will hold as we apply ourselves to solving these mysteries as well. To me, it supports the idea that there’s something else out there, making itself known. Its manner of self-revelation has changed over millennia because we’ve changed.