Influential_Book_Essay

2) Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why' (Maximum 1,000 words) As a child I was always fascinated by science. I used to greatly enjoy my time with the experiments, science fiction movies, etc. All my life I have been closely associated with science but never much appreciated its existence, its purpose & how it relates everything in this universe. That was when I came upon this wonderful & enlightening book called “Cosmos” written by Carl Sagan. It was a birthday gift for me; in fact the most cherished one. The book gives chronological & comprehensive description of great scientific discoveries & inventions that helped in our investigation of cosmos. The most wonderful aspect of the book is that it ties up the groundbreaking discoveries & major inventions with short biographies of their pioneers. This tells us about the hard work & pains that these people had to bear to bring the truth to surface. It is quite inspiring to know how these great thinkers & philosophers went ahead to reveal truth in spite of the hostility of the existing religious societies & political systems. As I read through the book I found it profoundly thought provoking .How is it that the Halley’s Comet appears every 76 years' How is it that I am privileged to witness such a celestial & magnificent sight as the solar eclipse' Sometimes I wonder that the world is too perfect to be true. None of the creations of mankind are flawless. How is it then that this creation such as unfathomable universe devoid of any flaws' When I attempt to answer these questions I am forced to stop making scientific arguments & this is where the spiritual realm begins. It was through this book that I was able to identify the harmony that exists in our world. One of the most amazing theories of the book that deeply inspires my thinking was that about the “cosmic calendar”. It gracefully compresses the 15 billion year local history of earth into a single cosmic year. According to this theory if it is assumed that the universe came into existence on the 1st day of January, it was not until may that the “milky way”, our galaxy, was formed; other planetary systems may have evolved in June-July-August; but our sun & our beautiful planet earth-not until mid September!. Subsequently, Life evolved on earth from October to December. We are currently in the last second of December the 31st. Thus in a very simple manner the book made me realize that our earth is very young indeed. It is just now that intelligent beings have started dwelling on this planet. What happens in the first second of the next cosmic year depends on what we do, here and now, with our intelligence and our knowledge of the cosmos. Countless wars have been fought for land & resources; even today humanity is terrorized under the curtain of religion, race & color. Why is it that we cannot appreciate that we have been the chosen ones to witness the grandeur of cosmos' Why fight with each other when we can work together to reveal the mysteries of universe that will eventually help us to live together in harmony. In Carl Sagan’s words, “We are the legacy of 15 billion years of cosmic evolution. We have a choice: We can enhance life and come to know the universe that made us, or we can squander our 15 billion-year heritage in meaningless self-destruction.” “We wish to pursue the truth no matter where it leads; but to find the truth we need imagination and skepticism both. We will not be afraid to speculate, but we will be careful to distinguish speculation from fact. The Cosmos is full beyond measure of elegant truths, of exquisite interrelationships, of the awesome machinery of nature.” The desperate attempts of nations to come to a common cord over commitments towards reducing global warming phenomenon are quite remarkable. With half of the world still skeptical about human involvement in the global warming, the issue has stirred up unrest among nations who along with their development also seek for an energy security. Amidst this entire issue, one thing that is really positive is that we are trying & we acknowledge that unless we act now the future is bleak. Through this book I not only gained the knowledge of science that led to our investigations of cosmos but also the social & political conditions of various times that led to acceptance & rejection of several scientific theories. Cosmos hasn't inspired me to become a theoretical physicist or change my life plans, but what it has inspired me to do is a lot simpler than that. It has allowed me to appreciate the world in ways I haven't been able to before. Now, at a decisive moment of my life, where I decide my destiny & pursue my ambitions, I have a lot more faith in my future, and of the life surrounding me. Every time I look back upon the words in the book, upon what’s been written in those 300 pages of utter brilliance, I am inspired to keep on moving on. I am inspired by what has been created, of the civilizations that came from stardust, of the molecular structures that reside in us which have evolved from bacteria. Sadly, I will never be able to meet Carl Sagan & Thank him for giving such an enlightening literature to human beings, but his words will inspire me forever. His ability to make me appreciate the universe and life has allowed me to truly admire my existence on this planet & answer the question raised by the last chapter of this book- “Who speaks for earth'”