Thousands of years ago, most people on this planet considered the Earth to be the center of the universe. The sun, moon and stars revolved around our stationary position in space. We were the all important existence. As religions developed, they readily adopted this theory, because it afforded their god(s) more implied power.
You may believe, as I did, that this theory existed without questioning until about 500 years ago. Not so. As far back as the 9th century BCE, there was a Hindu text written by an Indian philosopher named Yajnavalkya which stated, “The sun strings these worlds – the earth, the planets, the atmosphere – to himself on a thread.” Not only did this thinker understand the solar system, he also seems to have had a rudimentary understanding of gravitational pull. Unfortunately, he did not attract a lot of followers.
In 200 BCE there was a Greek astronomer named Aristarchus who maintained that the Earth rotated on its axis and orbited around the Sun. His theory was met with fierce resistance. People just don’t want to be told that what they believe is not true. Even the great thinkers and teachers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy remained staunch in their belief that the Earth was the center of the universe.
Fast forward to 1543 AD when Copernicus finally published his findings that the Earth was just another planet circling the Sun. Out of fear of the Church, he waited until he was on his death bed to publish his works. Galileo was not quite so smart, when he published “The Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems.” He was promptly arrested, convicted of heresy, and spent the rest of his life in prison. Then along came Sir Isaac Newton and Edmund Haley, whose works solidified the scientific facts.
Now we know that, not only is the Earth not the center of our solar system, we also know our solar system is not the center of our galaxy, and our galaxy is not the center of the universe. We are way off center.
So why is it, with all this knowledge and fact, some people still think they are the center of the universe. You know the people of whom I speak.
- The person who parks their grocery cart in the middle of the isle, completely oblivious to other shoppers.
- The family that brings their small children to a nice restaurant and lets them play as if they are at McDonalds, simply because they want a nice meal.
- The lady or man who wears way too much perfume or after-shave into a closed space.
- The person who zips in front of you in traffic or cuts in front of you in line, believing they and their time are more important than you and yours.
- The person who enters a public place talking loudly on his/her phone, as if all of us want to hear their whole conversation.
- The person who arrives at the cashier totally unprepared to finalize the transaction, while 14 people wait behind them in line.
- The person for whom you opened a door, who goes through the door wihtout saying “Thank You,” because they just “deserved” such treatment.
Feel free to add your own favorites in your comment.
I am reminded of one of my favorite poems by John Donne – “No Man Is An Island.” If you don’t know it look it up. It is worth reading.
Waking of the Bear 
Nice to see another post! Always enjoy them. Thanks! Kimberly
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Thanks for your kind comment.
Really enjoyed this – very informative. And you listed a great irritant to me – those people paying for their purchases with a large line behind them who wait until everything is totaled and bagged before pulling out their checkbook or credit/debit card, or question every little transaction or hold the casher up making small talk.
Thanks. I really get annoyed at Starbucks when someone in front of me gets to the cashier and hasn’t even decided what they want to order.
Unfortunately, more and more people are defying scientific truth and declaring that they are indeed the center of the universe…. It’s like a virus in our country today!
We live in a townhouse community with very limited guest parking – 2 spots per every 6 homes. We have 2 car garages and driveways, so the HOA suggests that guests park in driveways (can fit 2 cars.) BUT, we have some units that are rented to multiple people with multiple cars, and the public guest spots more often than not have these cars in them. Grrrr… I felt great satisfaction a few months ago when somebody parked a car for a friend who was out of town for a month in one of the public spots (WTF??) and the HOA had it towed! Center of the universe myth debunked! 🙂
I love it when I get to see Karma at work. I believe everyone will eventually get what they deserve, I would just like to know every time it happens.
I’m not sure, but I would guess human experience has always been what it is today, no matter when in history or what is believed. It is what it is. Our beliefs and truths derive from learning and experience. For each, it is different and so we are all different. We are given a cornucopia of responses to cope with the multitude of events and conditions met each day. We are also given free choice of any and all thoughts, responses, and beliefs. It’s often heard, “I have a right to be angry, upset, disappointed, etc.” A right? How’s that working? Let’s consider it was a choice. Perhaps reflection, consideration, understanding might produce a more positive result. Events and conditions present themselves daily. How they are chosen to be processed will make a world of difference. There is no morality to it, no right or wrong, but ask how are you feeling about your choice. A wise man once said, “No matter what the question, love is the answer.” We all struggle with the choices we have to make, including myself. But its a struggle worth engaging. That’s life.
Choose wisely.
And some people are so self engrossed, they always choose in favor of themselves, no matter what the feelings of others may be.
I think you listed most of my pet peeves in this excellent post Troy. Wait: I just thought of another. The receptionist or clerk or whatever who is helping me and stops midway in the transaction to answer the phone and then carry on a lengthy conversation while I stand there and wait. In this case, they’ve decided an unknown entity on the other end of the line will be more important than I am and that, yes, indeed, they were right. It drives me crazy.
It’s just a total lack of respect for others. Thanks for adding your peeve to the list.