Tuesday, November 16, 2010

THE EVERYTHING AND THE NOTHING

Watch this—and be humbled and amazed and inspired by the Infinite.  And ponder this:  What if all those galaxies out there are just reflections of the galaxies within us?  How limitless are we really?  How powerful? 

How utterly miraculous? 

 

23 comments:

  1. Amazing, simply amazing. Words seem too meager for this. but truly... does anyone have a thesaurus? Thank you so much for posting. But I don't feel humbles, I feel honored, for in some way, no matter how minuscule, I am a part of this ever growing tapestry.

    Wishing you nothing but goodwill and hipness from here to even those stars,
    Jack

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  2. That's a great video! I've always been fascinated by the wonder of our universe and the wonder of ourselves. Thanks for sharing ... and making me think (which I usually don't like to do after 6 pm : ) ).

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  3. Right back at you, Jack! Glad you enjoyed it.

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  4. As soon as I saw this, A. Jaye (my son forwarded it to me earlier today), I knew I had to share it. You can stop thinking now and go to bed. :)

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  5. How anyone can think that there isn't life, much less intelligent life, out there with that many galaxies in existence is beyond me.

    Even IF one gives in to the idea that everything is purely random and life is a fluke...there are more than enough planets out there for hundreds or thousands of purely random "fluke" worlds to exist.

    Then again, I seem to recall us finding proof of life off world, something like micro-fossils found in a meteorite or some such thing if memory serves correctly... yet we still get claims of no proof of life elsewhere in the universe? Really?

    I don't get it.

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  6. Watching and reading this brings a few things to mind.

    "The heavens declare the glory of God." (Psalms 19:1) That they do!

    As for pondering the infinity of our souls, I like this line from Walt Whitman:

    "If I contradict myself, I contradict myself. I contain multitudes."

    It also brings to mind a fantastic song by Christian Contemporary artist Rich Mullins, "Elijah." In it he talks about how when he leaves this world he wants to "go out like Elijah." He goes on to say, "When I look out at the stars, it'll be like a candlelight in Central Park."

    I take that line to speak to the ever increasing wonders that await us. There are times when I think nothing can surpass some point I find myself at. But no matter how great it seems, something comes along that's even better, until what came before seems small by comparison.

    That's one reason why I respond so well to your work. It really does speak to the universes waiting for us around every corner, both inside ourselves and in others.

    Brooklyn is indeed Oz, if we could only see.

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  7. I suspect that most people believe very strongly that there's life "out there," Kyle. Perhaps the people who don't are just louder than the rest of us.

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  8. "I contain multitudes." That's really the feeling I had looking at those images, David. We ALL contain multitudes, universes within universes within universes spiraling thorugh our hearts and minds. As I said, "How limitless are we really?"

    I'm working on a post today -- partly inspired by a recent back-and-forth I had with you and Kyle -- that explores this idea. I hope to have it up in the next day or two.

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  9. David, that was simply wonderful. I love it.


    And you just may be right, there, JMD. The minority opinion on most subjects to end up being more vocal it seems. Though I guess that does make sense, since they have to speak louder to be heard over the majority.

    On a completely unrelated subject...

    Some years ago I read THE LAST ONE (I was on a Vertigo kick, just jumping into that wonderful comic line) and I remember that I didn't much care for the art or the story.

    Fast forward to this past weekend. I'd picked up the trade for THE LAST ONE from BOOM! when it came out on principal of supporting you, even though I hadn't cared for it. It has sat on my shelf since. After deciding to finally get my blog going, I also decided to make my first attempt at a long-form review be over THE LAST ONE.

    Having read the first two issues again, what difference time makes. It's amazing. The writing, the art, the pacing, everything! If the next four issues hit me like the first two did it may just have moved itself up to the top of my "Favorite Works By J.M. DeMatteis" list.

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  10. Thank you, Kyle. THE LAST ONE is a series I'm very fond of. It was a pretty effortless collaboration, working with the wonderful artist Dan Sweetman and Vertigo editor Shelly Roeberg (she's Shelly Bond these days): both of them were an absolute delight.

    I like the entire series as a whole, but the second issue -- the one that details Myrwann's days in Hollywood during the era of silent films -- is one of my all-time favorites. It's a story that just gushed out of me and pretty much wrote itself.

    Let me know what you think when you've reached the end; and, again, thanks so much for supporting my work. It's PROFOUNDLY appreciated.

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  11. You keep writing it, I'll keep reading it (and if it' for sale, I'll keep buying it as well).

    The flashback, especially Loomis' vision just felt very, very genuine and pure. And also real. It's very easy for me to imagine people, at the dawn of movie age, thinking it'd bring about a sort of golden age of understanding and vision.

    And once done (it's a four part review, two issues per part with the final part being over all thoughts on it) I'll most definitely let you know my thoughts on it.

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  12. Please do, Kyle. And provide a link to your blog for everyone, as well.

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  13. Going through the Marvel solicits on Newsarama, it has SPIDER-MAN: GRIM HUNT TPB listed, along with you as one of the writers on the collection.

    It collects AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #634-637, the GRIM HUNT DIGITAL PROLOGUE, and material from WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #7 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: EXTRA! #3.

    I had no idea, beyond SOUL OF THE HUNTER, that you'd revisited the story. Looks like I found me another trade to add to my ever growing list of wants.

    As for the blog: http://kyleurban.blogspot.com/

    Part One of my THE LAST ONE review is here: http://kyleurban.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-last-one-part-one_17.html

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  14. I wrote a forty page story -- done in four ten page chapters -- about an encounter between Kraven the Hunter and Spidey's first clone, Kaine, that occurred in the weeks before Kraven's Last Hunt. Each chapter ran in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN behind a chapter of Joe Kelly's excellent "Grim Hunt" arc. (If Kraven had to come back, I'm glad it was Joe who did it. Didn't hurt that he had the amazing Michael Lark along for the ride.)

    I just received a copy of the hardcover yesterday. It's a very nice package and, I think, well worth reading.

    I'll check out your blog right now, Kyle.

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  15. Ooh, there is a hardcover for it. I'll have to grab it in that format then. I don't think I've ever read anything with Kaine in it but I have always thought he looked pretty cool. And I do tend to enjoy Joe Kelly's work.

    A winning combination has appeared.

    And if you've got the time and don't mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts.

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  16. My thoughts on your thoughts are pretty simple, Kyle: I think you totally "got" THE LAST ONE and you expressed yourself beautifully.

    The series was inspired by my experiences with the close Indian disciples of Avatar Meher Baba: watching them, year after year, give, with all their hearts and souls, to the waves of pilgrims that visited Meher Baba's Tomb-Shrine. Years passed, they got older, slower -- but they never stopped giving, with a selflessness that was almost supernatural -- and yet utterly, completely human.

    It got me thinking about the limits of compassion...and from those seeds, THE LAST ONE was born.

    Thanks for sharing your blog, Kyle. I look forward to reading more.

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  17. Thank you, immensely, for your thoughts in regard to my thoughts on your written thoughts.

    I'd mentioned to my friend after he read the first volume of SEEKERS that while Grant Morrison and Warren Ellis inspired by writing, your works, JMD, inspired (and still inspire) me spiritually. So your thoughts there mean a quite a bit to me...

    I've not looked much into the works and teachings of the Avatar Meher Baba, but considering that (as far as I understand it) is your primary influence spiritually, I imagine it'd resonate well with me.

    Thank you again.

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  18. I might have to check THE LAST ONE out, Kyle and JMD. It's on my list of things to get to.

    I enjoyed the Kaine/Kraven backups quite a bit. It was cool how you worked in the overt Blake reference, JMD.

    I really didn't think Marvel would bring Kraven back. I thought we were getting a bait-and-switch, where we'd end up with Vlad instead. It seemed so obvious....wow, did I get it wrong.

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  19. I suspect you'll enjoy THE LAST ONE, David: I think it's right up your alley.

    Re: William Blake. Yes, I liked sneaking in that bit about Kraven's right hand man having written the definitive biography of Blake.

    Glad you enjoyed "Grim Hunt." As previously noted, I thought Joe Kelly and Michael Lark did an excellent job with the story.

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  20. Kelly and Lark are stellar. To be honest, though, I was HOPING for the fakeout.

    I prefer Kraven dead. Oh, well...I reserve the right to think of him as a hellish doppleganger, just like Harry and Norman Osborn are clearly clones.

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  21. Well, David, since "Brand New Day" essentially reset Peter Parker's reality, that means there's ANOTHER universe where Harry, Norman and Kraven are still dead.

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  22. The best of both worlds it is, then!

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