Living in zero gravity
I was thinking about how one could describe the surreal feeling about living today: a world where truth is mostly ignored, where life comes in tiny fragments, where nothing is real, where you feel like you need lead-soled boots to keep grounded and a compass to show you which way is north. Then, it hit me, it is very much like living in zero gravity. There is no direction, there is no ground, and it’s not entirely real. Though we are still the third rock from the sun and Newtonian laws still apply. I remember reading about astronauts living in space and how disorienting it was at the beginning. But then, they came up with all kinds of mental and physical tricks to get some grasp on the reality they were living in, like wearing weights around wrists and ankles when they exercised.
Astronauts who made it to space trained for years to deal with zero gravity and spatial disorientation. They had to learn how to perform experiments in space and how to use themselves as experiments. In the end, they volunteered for these short-term missions. And, they knew that once back on Earth, everything would be back to normal.
The situation I’m talking about is today’s everyday life. No opt-out box to check. No training. No instructions. And no way of knowing what experiments you will be forming or be formed on. So, what are we supposed to do?
Well, we do what the human race has always done: adapt. Learn to float in zero-G and orient yourself by other thingsrather than a compass or someone else’s sense of direction. Enjoy the ability to do somersaults in the air without worrying about getting hurt. Drink your water drop by drop going up. Come up with new things to build, do, create. Leverage the unusual angle from which you can observe the world around you. You’ll find it much more interesting than it is from where you stand — feet firmly planted on the ground — now. Let go of the fear of the unknown. If you barf — there are bags, but that will go away when you see the beauty you’ve never seen before.
Is it scary? Yes. Is it unknowable? Very much so. But from that vantage, you can much easier navigate the winding path, discern truths from lies, and forge your own — much shorter — way.
Go ahead. Have your feet firmly planted in midair.
