It was 20th century British philosopher Bertrand Russell, I think, who pointed out that it’s impossible to disprove the statement, “The world was created just ten seconds ago with everything just as it is.”
If you refer to, say, fossils as evidence, one simply points out that ten seconds ago, when the world was made, those fossils were put there just as they are, in all their fossil-like glory.
Same goes for memories: If I were to respond by saying, “Yes, but I remember yesterday and the day before and the day before that, so clearly the world has existed for longer than ten seconds,” the rejoinder is again, to assert that when the world was created ten seconds ago, those memories were created as well.
So, perhaps it is the case that we live in a world that is less than half a minute old, but if so, I must commend the creator for installing in my head memories of last night and for choosing today as the start date so I can effectively recall not just one, but two birthdays to celebrate so soon after inception.
Of course, we can’t prove that Monica and Gabe, like all of us, didn’t only come into existence mere moments ago, but it’s nevertheless swell to recall celebrating their “birthday” with a return to childhood pleasures like bike-riding, sight-seeing, and playground zip-line swinging.
There weren’t a lot of miles overall, but if you convert the distance to furlongs, we can be confident that the total surpasses their combined “ages,” so count that as a win, for sure.
Additionally, it’s delightful to recollect that subsequent to the outdoor amusements, celebrants assembled for birthday Chelanigans and were rewarded with something straight out of a David Lynch movie, complete with stock characters, haunting melodies, and a birthday boy whose “mom” couldn’t possibly have been unless she was and if so, wow, cue the dancing midgets.
At least that’s how I remember it.
If you refer to, say, fossils as evidence, one simply points out that ten seconds ago, when the world was made, those fossils were put there just as they are, in all their fossil-like glory.
Same goes for memories: If I were to respond by saying, “Yes, but I remember yesterday and the day before and the day before that, so clearly the world has existed for longer than ten seconds,” the rejoinder is again, to assert that when the world was created ten seconds ago, those memories were created as well.
So, perhaps it is the case that we live in a world that is less than half a minute old, but if so, I must commend the creator for installing in my head memories of last night and for choosing today as the start date so I can effectively recall not just one, but two birthdays to celebrate so soon after inception.
Of course, we can’t prove that Monica and Gabe, like all of us, didn’t only come into existence mere moments ago, but it’s nevertheless swell to recall celebrating their “birthday” with a return to childhood pleasures like bike-riding, sight-seeing, and playground zip-line swinging.
There weren’t a lot of miles overall, but if you convert the distance to furlongs, we can be confident that the total surpasses their combined “ages,” so count that as a win, for sure.
Additionally, it’s delightful to recollect that subsequent to the outdoor amusements, celebrants assembled for birthday Chelanigans and were rewarded with something straight out of a David Lynch movie, complete with stock characters, haunting melodies, and a birthday boy whose “mom” couldn’t possibly have been unless she was and if so, wow, cue the dancing midgets.
At least that’s how I remember it.
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