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The up and down symbols are
deceptively potent. They are quick and easy to say and write. Both the up
and down symbols feature in the 100 most
used English words and are employed in a multitude of ways. They can
add a whole extra dimension to a communication. Thus when we fail to
employ these simple potent symbols to
evoke awareness of that dimension we can be sure some form of
deep denial of stewardship/change exists in us.
Up and down are powerful indicators
of the nature of change. They promote awareness that a change of state
could happen and that an object is about to be transformed.
They are indicators of risk and strike deep chords in us.
In general the up symbol points to an
increase in activity or heightened potential while the down symbol
points to a decrease in activity or lowered potential.
For instance, if the wind is speeding up
then it is accelerating. It is not just speeding and a constant velocity and force. It is
gaining force exponentially. The rate of transformation of our world is
likely to increase. The converse occurs if the wind is slowing down.
Like all things, life exists because a certain
balance in the rate of transformation or change exists. For instance,
human beings exist because we are a unique amount of activity. The
windless state and tornadoes puts life forms equally at risk.
From a thermal perspective, all things in the
universe(s) are subject to constant warming and cooling. Thermal energy
is continually transferred from warmer regions to cooler regions. We use
the temperature symbol to measure the rate and nature of the change.
If the rate of warming of an object is balanced by
the rate of cooling then its temperature remains constant and object
tends to retain its form. We exist in our human form because the
activity of our body is a relatively constant 37ºC. Life as we know it
on Earth because the activity at its surface averages a relatively
constant 15ºC.
Any change in the rate of activity of either our
body or our planet is a cause for concern. It heralds a change of state.
A whole new dimension occurs if the temperature ceases to be constant
and starts going up or down. We have to alter and adapt
our activities in order to survive in our current form. The up
and down symbols provide vital signals for this behavioural
change.
Our Anglo-American culture fails to employ these
two vital symbols and thus puts humanity at great risk. Weather experts,
educators, media and policy makers alike confuse the global warming symbol
with the global warming-up symbol. An increase in activity at
Earth’s surface is described as global warming, which is a profound
denial of the fact that increasing thermal activity of the Earth’s
surface presages a life threatening change of state. Ultimately this
failure to employ the up symbol reveals a denial of
stewardship/change and our role in the fundamental thermodynamics of the
universe(s).
Summary
Conserve the potential of the up and down
symbols by using them appropriately whenever our measures of an object
indicate its rate of change is no longer constant and is either
increasing or decreasing. They add extra, vital dimensions to our
awareness of existence.
Enjoy
the rewards of being a conservator of the potential of our greatest
symbols.
Page last updated:
Aug 2010
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