Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Bit by Bit - Chapter 1, Part 2

Trey Smith

The Universal Harmony records various wonders, and it says: "When the P'eng journeys to the southern darkness, the waters are roiled for three thousand li. He beats the whirlwind and rises ninety thousand li, setting off on the sixth month gale." Wavering heat, bits of dust, living things blowing each other about -- the sky looks very blue. Is that its real color, or is it because it is so far away and has no end? When the bird looks down, all he sees is blue too.
~ Burton Watson translation ~
On the surface, this sounds like a fantastic tale. A bird so immense that the beat of its wings can cause the oceans to roil!

For me, though, it's all about perspective. A robin flying over a puddle might look to a single-celled organism as large as the P'eng. Heck, a dragonfly flitting past a droplet of water might look to the organisms in that droplet like God himself.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

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