What the eyes can't see 11

1970, for me almost seemed to not have existed. I started out at a new school, it was my first high school year and one would have thought it would be memorable even if just for this fact. The truth of the matter is, it is a period of my life, which when I think back on draws a blank.There are only three things I recall of that year, I started smoking, played cricket without recollection of the games, remember only one class mate. When I think back of that time it conjures up feelings of isolation. It is as if a whole year had passed me by, with my eyes and ears closed, in fact all the senses must have been shut down.
Apart from this year I have vivid recollections of the sensory perceptions, from all other periods both preceding and following it. I can clearly attach names to faces, think back and associate sounds with events of years gone by and even odours bring back memories of nostalgia. Then there were flavours so delectable I can taste them on command, with a mere thought, and last but not least the feelings, those that last a life time, and can transport you back through time as if it were yesterday. I often marvel at the complexity of the sensory organs, namely the eyes, ears, nose, taste buds and the one that generates the feelings of sadness; awe; excitement; anger; peace; amazement; and love to name but a few, would that be the mind, heart or perhaps the soul? And all of these engineered by chance??

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The rest of that year seemed to slip on by unnoticed, almost as if a large chunk had been erased. A new year had dawned, it was 1969, flower power was in full bloom, and it was the year of the Woodstock music festival and concert. Amazingly enough 1969 was the birth of the information highway, what we today call the internet. Then of great international importance, it was the year that man landed on the moon. Of all the events, this was the one that that captured the moment of the year for me, man had finally broken the boundaries of Earth and had ventured into space, the final frontier. Some interesting info I recently discovered, Buzz Aldrin was not allowed to exercise his religious beliefs publicly when they landed on the moon, because the same woman, Madalyn Murray O Hair who was responsible for having prayer banned at public schools in America in 1964 had taken NASA to court to forbid astronauts from praying in space.

It was my final year at junior school and by now I had been introduced to the full spectrum of evolutionary theories or as we were taught "facts"in science, biology, geography and even a bit in history. In science it was the universe and its age, biology, the origins of life, geography, the age of the earth and its contents using the fossils found in the geological column and finally in history the lives of Charles Darwin and associates. These guys were the founders of evolution and who gave answeres to some of the worlds most perplexing questions. Or did they?

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By the time we had arrived at the campsite my mind was abuzz with all the new stories and strange emotional feelings experienced on the trip. We unpacked and then all assembled in the dining area to enjoy some biscuits and cold drinks, this not before giving thanks to the Lord? The only other recognizable form of prayer I can recall prior to this was when my mother would occasionally sing the the poem of Christopher Robin to me, without any explanation I must add, but the words have always stayed with me. "Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares! Christopher Robin is saying his prayers". This, as I only recently found out is a poem written by Alan Alexander Milne of Winnie the Pooh fame about his son. For those interested in the life story of the son go to
."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Robin_Milne.
After drinks we went down to the beach where I found myself sitting on the rocks discussing some of the stories I had heard on the bus, with one of the young adult camp leaders. I had so many questions to ask, but all he seemed to want to talk about was the death of Jesus, and all I wanted to know was how this guy "Noah" fitted all the animals into a boat, and where all the water in the flood came from? He admitted he did not know all the answers, but said that if it was recorded in the bible, then he believed it. He pointed to the ocean and said that it and all the contents there in were made by God, as well as everything else that the eye could see and even that which was not visible, all was created by Him and for Him, and this all in only six days.Who was he trying to fool? Did he think I was from another planet?

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The New Year had dawned and I could not help but wonder what it held in store for me, the holidays were nearing an end and another daunting scholarly year laid ahead. Somewhere deep down inside I had a feeling that this would be a year of revelation. I remember constantly reminiscing about that barnyard scene, in the corner under our Christmas tree, for most of the first term of school, I pondered as to it's meaning. Why had I never noted it before and why had no one explained its meaning?
The Easter holidays were just around the corner and I loved chocolate, this holiday was going to be great, I had been invited to attend a camp and could not wait. It was a church camp, and the best part of all was, no parents. I was brought up in a secular home with good morals, we were taught to honor and obey our parents and to show respect toward others. We never went to church, we were sent to church, however up till this stage I had not gone to a Sunday school class, we would assist in the church by distributing the hymn books and pamphlets before the service then hang around in the grounds and pack away again after the service.
The day arrived and I felt my heart miss a beat as I climbed onto the bus, I was having mixed emotions those of pent up excitement and fears of uncertainty. The other kids on the bus were different, they spoke of strange people and places, sang songs, clapped hands, and just seemed way to happy for my liking.
Strange people and places

JESUS ? DAVID ? GOLIATH?
NOAH ? DANIEL? and others.
BETHLEHEM ? JORDAN ?
CALVARY and the cross?

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The year had come to an end and the holidays were upon us, life was great and all things seemed to have worked themselves out, so let the fun begin. This was always the most exiting time of the year, so many things to do, and Christmas with all its gifts and cheer was the main event. Strangely enough the new year and all its festivities never featured at that age, perhaps because we were not allowed to drink yet, and toasting was the order of the day. All the shops were bursting at the seams with merchandise and the shoppers seemed far less serious than normal, there was a jovial atmosphere around and the sound of carols filled the air, it was a time for toys and turkey.
I remember going to fetch the Christmas tree, we had no car so we carried it home, fortunately the distance was not to far. The tree was placed in a drum covered with crepe paper, and then decorated, with all kinds of ornaments and tinsel, there were bells, drums, bugles, miniature gift boxes, reindeer, angels, and stars to name but a few. Then the lights and to top it of cotton wool balls, right at the top there was an angel with wings open wide, almost as if placed there to watch over the proceedings.all the gifts were neatly placed under the tree, and now for the first time I saw something I hadn't noticed before, there in the far corner was what seemed to be a barnyard scene. As I took a closer look I saw a baby in a trough with people and cattle standing around, I recall thinking a baby in a feeding trough? how strange, so what was this all about? Sigh! Here we go again.

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An amazing thing was taking place here, while all my questions seemed to be getting the required attention through all this exposure, for some strange reason the answers didn't seem to be satisfying my internal instincts.Perhaps I was to young to understand the immensity of what I was searching for, after all, those who were trying to answer these questions had themselves taken many years if not their entire lives to gather the relevant information.Maybe all that was needed was a little more time, and in the event of things, that seemed to be what it was all about.
The year was flying by and for the most part I had all but forgotten the questions, they had been pushed to the back of the queue, there were far more pressing issues to be dealt with now, like friends, sport and weekends.
Back then I was an avid reader and can clearly recall some of the literature, there were novels like Batman, Superman, The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine to name but a few.You guessed it my reading abilities left a lot to be desired, and comics were the order of the day. Later down the line you will understand my reason for bringing some of these characters to life, and I might add that it goes further than simply nostalgia.

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That night I battled to get to sleep, my mind was set in overdrive and I found myself constantly trying to assimilate the information gathered that day. If this was not enough I could not wait for tomorrow's planned class outing to the planetarium, space and the final frontier, the most prolific area of interest in my life at that stage. Eventually I must have drifted of to sleep, and would love to know what I dreamt of that night but sadly I have no recollection.
I woke early that morning and was chomping at the bit to get going; today would unlock the secrets of time and hopefully explain the outer limits of the universe.

The distance between the heavenly bodies are measured in light years, this being the time it would take light to travel from one body to another in years. The nearest star (besides our son) is 4.24 light years from earth.This means that it takes 4.24 years for the light from this star to reach earth.There are many other stars and celestial bodies that are millions of light years away, this would mean that their light must have taken millions of years to reach us, or conversely that they formed millions of years ago. Or was there some other explanation?

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As I walked down the dimly lit corridors, adorned with intricately carved and glazed display boxes, stopping at each box to marvel at its contents, then reading the accompanying inscriptions, bits of the puzzle slowly seemed to be falling into place. There was so much to see, so many documents to be read and in some cases audio tracts of sounds and explanations as to the content of the displays to be heard.

One display showed clearly how fish had upwardly evolved, there right before my eyes I could see how the fins had become legs and the preserved fish like creature, or perhaps a moulded replica thereof crawled out onto dry land. From there other life forms could be seen to have evolved up to, and including what I would imagine was the first bird. (Archeopteryx)

All these creatures as well as many vivid artist impressions showing great detail were on display, it boggled the mind to think that such accurate reflections could be attained, when these creatures were no longer around to be studied. Some exhibits were so life-like that I found myself literally holding my breath and waiting for them to move. Many of these thought provoking displays would change the course of my future perceptions in life.

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What an amazing place! even at the entrance there was evidence of the immense time span from the beginning until now, here right before my eyes was a section of a tree that had turned to stone. Everyone gasped in disbelief; the initial silence was deafening, and then came all the questions. How? Why? When? Where? Only to be reassured with what we already knew, the affirmative answer “millions of years.”

The building in front of me was itself a picture of years gone by, suitably adorned to house its contents. Upon entering through the arched portals, into the triple volume main hall, you are met with a melting pot of synergies to prick the senses. Musty aromas, so tart they could be tasted; exhibits of awe inspiring magnitude, and the silence of a death long forgotten. Initially all one could do was stand in silence and allow the body to totally absorb the aura. It was almost as if I had stepped through Lewis Carol’s looking-glass and been transported back in time.

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At last my first answers were in sight, they were now buried in the pages of all these books just waiting to be explained and learned by all of us who eagerly awaited explanations of our existence.

I can recall my Geography teacher as being old, very old, but at the same time she displayed demeanor of one much younger, she was very upright and walked as one with a purpose. The first paragraph of our class work book read as follows “In the beginning the world was a ball of burning gasses, which slowly cooled and over a period of millions of years settled and became habitable.” These words have stayed with me all the years, showing just how indelible they must have been.

Next up was science and biology class and once again a bombardment of information all aiming in the same direction, one substantiating the other, with no deviation. By now the Earth was ready for life, the seas had formed and the rivers were flowing, plants had started growing and the simplest of cells were beginning to form, and all of this through an initial massive explosion at the beginning of time.

Back then it was all so easy I was programmed not to question, and the “facts” all led down the same path. Our first class outing was the ultimate eye opener; all was laid bare to see; now there could be no doubts, and defiantly no question as to the truth, “seeing is obviously believing. “

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As I grew older the questions became deeper and more defined,like where did the wind come from or for that matter the rain,why did it get dark and where did the sun go by night or the moon and the stars by day?Why were there rainbows and where did they end? Who was Father Christmas and where did the tooth mouse get his money? All these questions and very few answers.
Eventually the day came and it was time to start learning and getting some of the answers or so I thought.It was the beginning of a new era in my life (punishment and discipline), yes school had begun.Lots of new friends to be made and oh! lots more questions to be answered, just when I thought some would be clarified.Here we go again "why do you write with your left hand? it's the wrong one put the chalk in your right hand" "You need a haircut and your tie is skew", these being just the tip of the iceberg.
Life went by slowly for the next few years and then in or around about grade five or in my day Std 3, the real work began and the questions were now stacked up and waiting for responses, I could see some light at the end of the tunnel as I paged through the geography and science books, they seemed to be bursting at the seems with answers, things were starting to look up.

What the eyes can't see

As a young boy I can recall always looking for answers; answers as to how things were made, how they came to be and where they came from.Often as most boys would do, I would dismantle things, be they living or material.I wondered how anyone could have thought of taking what appeared to be a rock and turning it into a piece of steel,and then into an object of destruction or intricate beauty. The more I looked, the deeper I delved,the more inspired and puzzled I became.
Who would have thought; steel from rocks; gold and silver from rocks; gemstones from rocks; sand from rocks and even coal which we turn into energy comes from rocks. The rock it seemed was the basis of the very foundation on which I was standing.I recall looking up into space and thinking where does it all end, in fact where did it all begin.
Then there were the butterflies and the bees, the flowers and the trees, all things bright and beautiful.At first glance they seemed far simpler than the man made monstrosities, far less puzzling, mostly softer and easier to dismantle.I gave very little thought to their male up or design,back then I just accepted their existence. There were a few other things around back then, those to be afraid of, the mud man, the bogey man and all things that went bump in the night. Finally there was myself and others like me, whom I would imagine shared all the same feelings.Would my questions ever be answered?