Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up. (Stephen Hawking)
Thinking about the musings from DAY 8: Someone Upstairs Runs The Show – Part 1…
I knew that I needed to write a Part 2.
I would submit to you that humans deep down, in their gut, their soul, their consciousness…whatever you want to call it, believe that there is more to life than just ‘this’.
So what exactly is ‘this’?
I have ‘this’ as a visual up on my front board in class. It is a simple chart with the following on it:
An X axis labelled TIME from zero to infinity;
A Y axis labelled ‘SPEC’: (Social, Political, Economic, and Cultural) from zero to infinity;
A black line pointing steadily upwards as it moves left to right, and halfway through I have ‘SOL’ (Standard Of Living) underneath said line;
A green line, arching above the black line, representing you;
A red line, arching above the black and green lines, representing a stock in the stock market;
A blue line, arching above the black, green and red lines, representing human empires;
A capital ‘A’ marked in the lower, left-hand corner of the chart;
A capital ‘B’ marked at the height of the chart, above the blue, human empire line and;
A capital ‘C’ market where the black, green, red and blue lines all meet at the far right-hand side of the chart:
What does this visual have to do with ‘this’?
After I show and explain this chart to my students, there are 3 major take-aways that I want them to come away with:
1) Over time, empires, stocks and humans have the same, general life cycle: they are born (A), they rise to greatness (B), and they eventually die (C);
2) Since humans make both empires and stocks, it makes sense then that they mimic the life cycle of humans who created them and;
3) Over time, humanity improves on all fronts, Socially, Politically, Economically and Culturally, as shown by the advancing Standard Of Living of humans over time.
So what? Again, what does my visual on my board in my classroom have to do with ‘this’? What does this visual have to do with Someone Upstairs Running The Show?
Well for starters, look at the overall direction of the arrow of humanity over time…
It is pointing upward, not downward.
A secondary point is that when I get to point C on the chart, I die.
Meanwhile, my son, has his capital A to the right of my C. (Since this part is not written on the board, I finish off this concept explaining this last part.)
In other words, when I die, (as will the rest of my generation eventually), my son, (and his generation), will continue to send humanity to greater and greater heights.
To my knowledge, that chart is hand drawn in my classroom only…literally. Therefore, at best, the continuity of understanding that Someone Upstairs Runs The Show, is seen by at most, 150 students per year. (As of this writing, I have been teaching AP World History going on 16 years now.)
Is it possible then, that a single chart, on single board, of a single classroom, literally on our single planet, could have a greater impact on those who will never visit my classroom in their lifetime?
How is that impact possible if you have never seen the chart because you have never been in my room?
How is it possible for someone who has never taken my class to understand that Someone Upstairs Runs The Show?
Architecture. Architecture I believe is the answer.
For at least the past 5,000 years, all around the world, in all civilizations, mankind has always been motivated to build up, not down.
In fact, here are 56 pieces of evidence, in chronological order, that help to prove that mankind has always recognized that Someone Upstairs Runs The Show:
1) 2,720 B.C.; Ellinka, Greece; Pyramid of Hellinikon; almost 12 feet;
2) 2,670 B.C. to 2,648 B.C.; Saqqara, Egypt: Step Pyramid of Djoser; 203 feet;
3) 2,650 B.C. to 2,645 B.C.; Saqqara, Egypt: Buried Pyramid; 230 feet (planned), 26 feet (today);
4) 2,645 B.C. to 2,630 B.C.; Giza, Egypt: Layer Pyramid; 138-148 feet (planned), 56 feet (today);
5) 2,627 B.C. to 2,020 B.C.; Caral, Peru: Pyramid City; 59 feet;
6) 2,600 B.C. (around); (Cairo), Egypt: Bent Pyramid; 344 feet;
7) 2,600 B.C. (around); Cairo, Egypt: Red Pyramid; 344 feet;
8) 2,600 B.C. (around); Beni Suef, Egypt: Medium Pyramid; 301 feet (planned), 213 feet (today);
9) 2,580 B.C. to 2,551 B.C.; Giza, Egypt: Great Pyramid of Khufu; 455 feet;
10) 2,570 B.C. to 2,520 B.C.; Giza, Egypt: Pyramid of Khafre; 471 feet;
11) 2,510 B.C.; Giza, Egypt: Pyramid of Menkaure; 213 feet;
12) 2,205 B.C. to 1,767 B.C.; Xian, China; White Pyramid Of Xian; 1,000 feet;
13) 2,100 B.C.; Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq; Great Ziggurat at Ur; 98 feet;
14) 683 B.C. to 283 B.C.; Meroe, Sudan: The Nubian Pyramids; 20-98 feet (range);
15) 200 B.C. to 800 A.D.; Puebla, Mexico: Great Pyramid of Cholula; 180 feet;
16) 12 B.C.; Rome, Italy: Pyramid of Cestius; 125 feet;
17) 100 A.D. to 200 A.D.; Teotihuacan, Mexico: Pyramid of the Sun; 216 feet;
18) 100 A.D. to 800 A.D.; Trujillo, Peru: Huaca del Sol; 164 feet (planned), 135 feet (today);
19) 150 A.D. to 250 A.D.; Teotihuacan, Mexico: Pyramid of the Moon; 141 feet;
20) 1st Century A.D. to 4th Century A.D.; Tiruchirappalli, India: Ranganathaswamy Temple, 236 feet;
21) 560 A.D to 900’s A.D.; Uxmal, Mexico: Pyramid of the Magician; 131 feet;
22) 604 A.D. to 1240 A.D.; London, England: Old St Paul’s Cathedral 493 feet;
23) 682 A.D. to 734 A.D.; Petén, Guatemala: Mayan Pyramids of Tikal; 154 feet;
24) 1,003 A.D. to 1,010 A.D.; Thanjavur, India: Brihadisvara Temple; 217 feet;
25) 1015 A.D. to 1439 A.D.; Strasbourg, France: Strasbourg Cathedral; 466 feet;
26) 1030 A.D. to 1876 A.D.; Rouen, France: Rouen Cathedral; 495 feet;
27) 1088 A.D. to 1311 A.D.; Lincoln, England: Lincoln Cathedral; 524 feet;
28) 1225 A.D. to 1573 A.D.; Beauvais, France: Beauvais Cathedral; 502 feet;
29) 1248 A.D. to 1880 A.D.; Cologne, Germany: Cologne Cathedral; 516 feet;
30) 1298 A.D. to 1478 A.D.; Stralsund, Germany: St. Mary’s church; 495 feet;
31) 1335 A.D. to 1874 A.D.; Hamburg, Germany: St. Nicholas’ Church; 483 feet;
32) 1377 A.D. to 1890 A.D.: Ulm, Germany: Ulm Minster; 530 feet;
33) 1796 A.D. to 1797 A.D.; Shrewsbury, United Kingdom: Ditherington Flax Mill; 52 feet;
34) 1848 A.D. to 1884 A.D.; Washington D.C., United States: Washington Monument; 554 feet;
35) 1871 A.D. to 1901 A.D.; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia City Hall; 548 feet;
36) 1885 A.D.: Chicago, Illinois; The Home Insurance Building; 138 feet;
37) 1908 A.D.; New York City, New York: Singer Building; 612 feet;
38) 1905 A.D. to 1909 A.D.; New York City, New York: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower; 700 feet;
39) 1910 A.D. to 1912 A.D.; New York City, New York: Woolworth Building; 792 feet;
40) 1928 A.D. to 1930 A.D.; New York City, New York: Chrysler Building; 1046 feet;
41) 1929 A.D. to 1930 A.D.; New York City, New York: 40 Wall Street; 927 feet;
42) 1930 A.D. to 1931 A.D.; New York City, New York: Empire State Building; 1454 feet;
43) 1968 A.D. to 1970 A.D.; New York City, New York: World Trade Center (1 WTC); 1730 feet;
44) 1970 A.D. to 1973 A.D.; Chicago, Illinois: Willis Tower (Sears Tower); 1729 feet;
45) 1985 A.D. to 1989 A.D.; Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast: Our Lady of Peace Basilica; 518 feet;
46) 1993 A.D. to 1996 A.D.; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Petronas Twin Towers; 1483 feet;
47) 1997 A.D. to 2008 A.D.; Shanghai, China: Shanghai World Financial Center; 1621.7 feet;
48) 1999 A.D. to 2004 A.D.; Taipei, Taiwan: Taipei 101 Tower; 1671 feet;
49) 2002 A.D. to 2010 A.D.; Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong: The International Commerce Centre; 1,587.9 feet;
50) 2004 A.D. to 2010 A.D.; Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Burj Khalifa; 2722 feet;
51) 2004 A.D. to 2011 A.D.; Mecca, Saudi Arabia: Abraj Al-Bait Towers; 1972 feet;
52) 2006 A.D. to 2013 A.D.; New York City, USA: One World Trade Center; 1792 feet;
53) 2008 A.D. to 2014 A.D.; Shanghai, China: Shanghai Centre/Tower; 2073 feet;
54) 2009 A.D. to 2016 A.D.; Guangzhou, China: Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre; 1739 feet;
55) 2010 A.D. to 2017 A.D.; Guangdong, China: Ping An Finance Centre; 1996 feet;
56) 2011 A.D. to 2016 A.D.; South Korea: Lotte World Tower; 1823 feet….
Logically speaking, if Someone Upstairs Does NOT Run The Show, then why would the people of: Greece, Egypt, Peru, China, Iraq, Sudan, Mexico, Rome, India, England, Guatemala, France, Germany, The United States, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea, over the last 10,000 years, waste all of their time, energy, and resources, trying to get to that Someone?
Then, and now?
Is the Someone Upstairs Who Runs The Show really up there? I think so. Well, who or what is this Someone? When teaching the class I position this answer one of three ways, depending on who where and when you ask them:
1) Spirits, (polydaemonism);
2) Gods and Goddesses, (polytheism) and/or;
3) God. (monotheism).
Those are the potential answers to who the Someone Upstairs Who Runs The Show is or may be.
Are all 3 answers correct?
Can they all be correct?
Can only one be correct?
Well, in time, hopefully the answers to those questions will be eventually answered….
Do not feel discouraged if you don’t believe that Someone Upstairs Runs The Show. Do not feel discouraged if you feel that you have no idea what the correct answer is if you do believe that Someone Upstairs Runs The Show. Instead, embrace the idea that it’s great to have the freedom to be able to even think about this idea. Embrace the idea that there are answers to that question, answers that will eventually be found when the time comes.
3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:3-4 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 9: Someone Upstairs Runs The Show – Part 2.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: