Man with bird
Mathematics is the science of calculating. Storytelling: the voice of imagination. I do love it whenever they intersect around statistics. The numbers and percentages provide the opening sentence then leave it up to you to consider its vast implications, which will inevitably lead to some far-flung comparisons.
I like the big numbers, don’t you? We’ve mentioned a few on PorchLight before. As an example, there are currently an estimated three trillion trees growing on the surface of the earth. That’s about 25% less than the Federal Government spent in dollars during this past fiscal year. Here’s another one that bears repeating: If you counted every single human being that has experienced life on earth, however long, no matter when. Give or take 200,000 years, give or take 120 billion people. Elon Musk’s net worth in dollars is over double that figure.
Sorry to detour your musings here, but I’ve got a new one. If you combined all of the paved and constructed surfaces across the world – the human-built square footage that covers terra firma – it would take up about a half a million square miles. That’s larger than the combined surface area of Germany, France, and Italy.
Often, you don’t need statistical analysis to project where these overall trends are headed. More concrete, covering more ground, resulting in even fewer trees which will more severely impact that portion of humanity that’s still alive or is soon to be.
The ancient spiritual saw reads as follows: “You never step into the same river twice.” One of the greatest American rivers is the Wabash. That waterway has gone through many different identities since the Native Americans named it after the white mussel shells on its river bed. The numbers there defy any estimate.
No, certainly not the same river, in no small part because it’s been human beings who’ve done most of the stepping.
Song, Artist, Album
Don’t Go Near The Water, Beach Boys, Surf’s Up
After The Gold Rush, Neil Young, After The Gold Rush
Theme To “Our Town’, St. Louis Symphony, Copland
Down By The Riverside, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Gospel Train
Crossing Muddy Waters, John Hiatt, Crossing Muddy Waters
The Long And Winding Road, Beatles, Let It Be
Mercy Mercy Me, Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On
Mother Earth, Memphis Slim, Charly Blues
Wabash Cannonball, Roy Acuff, Greatest
This Train, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Decca Singles
Before The Deluge, Jackson Browne, Late For The Sky
