Learning from History
Thursday was the annual Research Day at the vet school. One of the presentations concerned the measurement of viscosity, etc in horse joint fluid using a rheometer. And that got me to thinking...
It amazes me to think of the incredible amounts of thought and effort that go into the design and production of such machines. The manufacturing techniques must be pretty amazing to produce a device with such great precision. Think about the computer programming, the molding of the metal parts, and the fine-tuning.
I think about it, and it wows me — mainly because I put myself in the shoes of a person designing such a device, and the thought positively overwhelms me. And maybe it is that amazing, in some situations. But then I get to thinking, maybe the reality is not as gruelling as it seems. Present day technologies are built on years of many people working and troubleshooting. And devices are developed (I would suppose) by groups of researchers, by companies with big money — not by an individual hermit on his back forty trying to reinvent the wheel, mine his own iron, and make his own tools.
And THAT got me to thinking of the Christian life. One beauty of the Church is the heritage it grants. I don't have to learn everything by trial and error — rather, I can (partially) build my life by integrating wisdom I learn from others. "That [my] days may be long on the land" — or, rather, that they may be spent in the best way for God's kingdom, which is a goal better suited to the New Covenant.
It amazes me to think of the incredible amounts of thought and effort that go into the design and production of such machines. The manufacturing techniques must be pretty amazing to produce a device with such great precision. Think about the computer programming, the molding of the metal parts, and the fine-tuning.
I think about it, and it wows me — mainly because I put myself in the shoes of a person designing such a device, and the thought positively overwhelms me. And maybe it is that amazing, in some situations. But then I get to thinking, maybe the reality is not as gruelling as it seems. Present day technologies are built on years of many people working and troubleshooting. And devices are developed (I would suppose) by groups of researchers, by companies with big money — not by an individual hermit on his back forty trying to reinvent the wheel, mine his own iron, and make his own tools.
And THAT got me to thinking of the Christian life. One beauty of the Church is the heritage it grants. I don't have to learn everything by trial and error — rather, I can (partially) build my life by integrating wisdom I learn from others. "That [my] days may be long on the land" — or, rather, that they may be spent in the best way for God's kingdom, which is a goal better suited to the New Covenant.
posted by Claire at 12:32
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home