Is it a normal, natural human trait to think you're at the center of everything?
I’m thinking about when science put us at the center of everything, and the sun revolved around us.
Where you surprised when you learned our solar system is not in the middle of our galaxy? It’s not even close to the middle of the galaxy. Were you surprised to learn it’s flung out on the edge one of the arms, like an afterthought, like it’s going to fall off? Like nothing at all special?
When we moved to Kansas, from Florida, when I was 8, I wrote a letter back to my friend telling him Kansas was in the middle of the country, and we lived in the middle of Kansas and I thought that was cool. Well, Kansas is pretty much in the middle of the country, but Wichita isn’t in the middle. It’s to the south, and we lived south of Wichita.
Why do we humans have this trait? Is it from our religious history? Or is it some sort of instinct?
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Speaking geographically, us Antipodeans know we are at the far-flung ends of the earth, and we love it!
Our experience tends to be one of attention on our own perspective, and usually to stay mostly around where we are, and certainly not to leave the planet much. So that part seems to follow naturally.
As for the location of our solar system within our galaxy, no, that doesn’t seem at all surprising to me.
I do think that some religious cosmologies and teachings (Judeo-Christian ones, and some others e.g. Greek focus on Mount Olympus) tend to have a small and centered world view. In some cases it makes sense (some islanders know their own island as the whole world, but modern Christians have much less excuse).
Well, I was just a kid when I learned about it, so it surprised me. I believed in God and I was amazed he’d stick us in such a precarious place! It isn’t surprising now, of course. now I understand the vastness of the universe, and how infinitesimal we really are.
~ ~ ~ What do you mean, are you implying that maybe I’m not the CENTER. j.k.
According to the Big Bang Theory space has been expanding for around 14 billion years, so if you wound time back you would see the universe start to shrink, getting smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than the room you are sitting in. Go back further to the very beginning and everything was in the one location. In a way, you are sitting at the exact centre of the universe right now.
Join the Flat Earth Society for a truer perspective.
I saw a meme that said, “If the earth was flat cats would be knocking stuff off of it.” One of my friends said, “Well, the cats Down Under would be knocking it back up.”
You are the center of everything from your own experience and perspective. It’s called being sentient.
Sounds like a very egotistical thing. I don’t think that way. But I do feel that my eyes are my center.
I prefer being on a far-flung arm of the galaxy, personally. The center would be far too dark and cramped for my liking.
Because, you know, there’s a supermassive black hole in the center… Bah-dum sshhh :)
Yes, I believe it is.
I have mentioned this before but I had a friend who, quite seriously, believed himself to be the center of the universe. He believed that once you were no longer in his sight, you no longer existed and when you came back into his life the universe had placed you there because of some need within himself that the universe had noted and responded to. This also applied to the entire world in general, not just people.
When you think about it, kind of like the Matrix. The universe/his brain created his entire world and world view.
When I asked how come I felt like i continued on with life even after he could no longer see me, his response was that just him/his brain/the universe, implanting false memories in order to flesh out his reality.
Made sense to me but then again, I spent a goodly portion of my twenties and thirties under the influence of various chemicals. Then again, maybe I didn’t and just imagine I did in order to flesh out his reality. Not really sure anymore.
What facility is you old friend in, @rojo!?
Oh, he is still loose among us other inmates.
He also believes sometimes he catches glimpses of the scenery/set changes going on around him and that misplaced items are not of his doing but either glitches in the system or sloppy work by the universe.
Wow! What a trippy guy! Too much acid!
Actually, he is a vegan (for the past few years anyway, not in the past).
What does being a vegan have to do with anything?
It is about as crazy as his beliefs.
LOL! You’re on a roll today!
My throat hurts so BE NICE!!
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