Observations of Life at the Museum

I miss being a Philosophy student, I wish I were a science student and was born an artist. My love for the sky and understanding the Earth and consciousness overwhelms me sometimes. Its a constant battle of thought of the Why is this the way it is? What makes it work? Why do we respond this way? So many ways to respond? How do I find out? And there are many more questions than personal logic can answer it on its own. I want to know! I want to understand this absurd understanding experiencing experience and how art is so divine.

I was at The Natural History Museum on Labor Day and I really wanted to clear my head, but of course there were tons of people there. I'm sure it's not always that crowded so I'll definitely go back again soon. But there were a lot of kids there. Mostly young kids but teenagers too and I really did feel separate from them. I went by myself because I really wanted to pay attention and observe. First of all, the Dinosaur exhibit is breathtaking. Just the mere fathom of viewing something millions of years old. Something that lived, breathed, ate, felt, communicated and I bet in some strange way had to come to terms with it's existence. So you have these age old skeletons, an animal once much stranger than we are and kids running around it in 2011. It was hard to walk through some of the exhibits because amateur mom photographers were adding memories to their family albums. Baby girl at a water fountain. Little boy looking at dinosaur. Brother and sister making bunny ears. This is Natural History.

This museum holds a lot of information. Information of our existence and brilliance of our own species on our Earth. One that can step back and view itself from itself. The progressions known and unknown that led to our unique figure and place in the 'modern' world. Its astonishing how far we've come. Before I went to NHM I had been watching a bunch of documentaries on human evolution and how our oldest common ancestor dates back 3 million years ago. THREE MILLION YEARS AGO. Sounds like a long time... but... how far long ago and how slow the process. We're barely here and people 50 years ago thought we'd have flying cars by now. That's when I stumbled upon the Lucy exhibit, I found out later it was a plaster skeleton, but still... the arrangement of bones of a 3.2 million year old hominid species of the first to walk upright... wow. Maybe I'm just a big nerd talking... but seriously if all these SKELETONS didn't take the steps they made we would have not been here. Hominid migrations out of Africa braving the elements, the unknown and exploring the globe by foot. How location, location, location makes a difference on biology and external aesthetics; skin, eye and hair color. And how strange and exhilarating to be a part of it and especially now. Especially special the fact that elements and ingredients of the Earth and Universe within us and all other species leaves behind matter that is solid that can survive throughout time. These fossils, though not living, now with modern technology can be carbon dated with clear precision and in certain instances DNA can be extracted as well. It took until 'modern times' to be able to have enough technology, brain power and will to tackle the task of unfolding the pages of origins. For if it wasn't for millions of years with the common hand axe we wouldn't have the telescope or the microscope. Even though the modern electric guitar is the greatest of all inventions.... just kidding.

Everything came from that. A slight decision that domino'd change and adaptation. The will to explore and to survive. Not only had they have to have been overwhelmed at seeing the sun of  day but they understood there was the instinct to see another and another. For everything given life innately has the drive to protect its life, continue it. So as I look at Lucy I wonder what she thought of life then? Could she comprehend and if so the ways of comprehension? The same thing for these kids as they run in front of me as I'm trying to soak in. Are they comprehending whats going on? Why did their Parents feel the need to bring them here and how important is it to them? Will they remember what they saw and will it impact them the way it should? How can one take in information of millions of years of data? I hope they do... at some point in their lifetime. For understanding the greatness behind that picture of little boy with a dinosaur that it is a connection of one in same living, breathing, feeling thing that once and is roaming the earth.