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The Search For Rhyme And Reason

Editorial by: Tom Oosterhoudt

Those of you who have followed my editorials for some time may have noticed that from time to time I often try to give a reality check and put things into their often stunning perspective. Take the earths population now estimated by the Census Bureau to be 6.778 billion. It seems there has bot been a major die off since the Black Death in 1400. According to current projections, the world population will continue to grow until around 20050. World births have leveled off at 134 million a year. Because births outnumber deaths, the world’s population is expected to reach about 9 billion in the year 2040.

I also often like to point this out that the size of the earth is comparable to a grain of sand compared to our sun, which in turn is like a grain of sand next to the largest sun, Antares. I also like to cite the mind bender of time. The universe is now estimated to be 14 billion years old. Man as we know him showed up as Neanderthals about 35,000 years ago, but recent discoveries suggest that there were actually “Stone Age black smiths, making tools from fire, about 72,000 years ago.

Does anyone else out there channel surf themselves to sleep late at night like I do? The Discovery and History channels have both had some scary astronomical revelations in recent years, and I am not talking about the suggested progression of global warming. The possibilities they suggest of end of times scenarios seem to be endless. Sporadic gamma rays from distant exploding stars could fry everything in our galaxy. A stray comet or asteroid could also hit earth and end it all. The sun could self implode also frying everything in sight. And with a dissipation of the earth’s ozone layer, ultraviolet rays could microwave all life on the planet.

The possibilities of total destruction resulting from the earth’s inner core are also frequent subjects on the science channel. It is fascinating that the earth’s core, consisting of molten metal in continuous motion is as much responsible from keeping the earth from freezing as the rays of the sun. Furthermore, the magnetic fields deriving from the molten metal circulating inside the earth, basically create just enough gravity to hold the water on earth, as well as our atmosphere, In other words, without the seemingly perfect scheme of things, everything on the earth’s surface would basically just blow wary, the atmosphere, the oceans, and even us.

The mechanism of the galaxy that allows earth to probably be the only life supporting planet is also mind boggling. The earth orbits the sun at just enough distance from the sun to support life as we know it. Then as it circles the sun, the earth itself rotates on its axis, giving us 24 hour days, again, just the right amount of time the support life. So as the earth circles the sun, and the earth rotates every 24 hours, its molten core rotates inside, as our galaxy soars through the universe, expanding, And while all this is going on, our moon circles the earth with enough gravitational force to give us tides. So to sum it all up, the coincidences that sustain life in our world are overwhelming. We know that we are like dust in the wind, and that man is only on earth for a second in the continuum of time. Can we hope, as Longfellow suggests, “to leave our footprints in the sands of time?” What can keep the universe ticking and everything synchronized? Could the exponential numbers of random coincidence really explain why everything works so well? It’s at this point all logic leads one to feel that there must be a greater power at work. So yes, I believe!

I also believe that we can all make the world as good or bad as we want to. Because of that powerful karma, I have dedicated myself to make Conch Color the genesis of good news. And by continuing to report the good that men do, that God will continue to bless our good with brotherhood, much like the patriotic song says. So I am proud to be able to offer a publication as uplifting as Conch Color. The daily paper can live with its horrible karma of negative headlines in a challenging tourist economy. And Conch Color is proud to face the world with our attitude that good news prevails, and often gives birth to even mre good news. THanks to everyone who understands what Conch Color is really about and for their continued support.

Tom Oosterhoudt
Editor & Publisher

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