A Moment of Pride in the Courage of the Human Race

Cruising out of New York Harbor is a stirring moment: a good breeze blowing, Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York," helicopters and planes in the air, ships coming and going, small boats darting, in one glimpse the shoreline skylines of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, then the big green Statue of Liberty in bronzing sunset light. Seeing all that in one glance from the uppermost deck of the Queen Mary 2 made me proud of humans. It takes a brave and ingenious crew of people to create such a humming, swarming, majestic scene.  I'm impressed by what we, at our best, can come up with. To see so much of it at once can make the scalp prickle.

 

 

I had a hint of the same feeling just stepping out of my cabin into the hall:  it's a big ship.  This hall goes on for about half as far in the other direction as well.

 

 

It's also a big ocean.  Watching the waves (slate blue to ice blue to white white foam) reminded me of the first folks to cross it, traveling in small ships with no way to know where they'd land.  

 

 

Categories: enhancing creativity

Tags: courage of the human race