Winning Words 1/25/13
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”  (MLK, Jr)  The idea of infinity has always fascinated me, particularly as applied to the idea of God.  A mapmaker in 1525 made a note with regard to unexplored regions: “Here be dragons.”  That note was later crossed out, and someone added:  “Here is God.”  I never knew that the symbol for infinity is called, a lemniscate.  I think I’ll just call it, “God.”    ;-)  Jack

 FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  I remember, as a little boy about 8 years old, thinking about the concept of infinity. I was told that God is, always was, and always will be. I started thinking about the "always was" part as I walked into the bathroom...in my imagination I began considering the past, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, ..., and I started to get dizzy. I remember that I had to sit down for a minute. It was quite an experience! Now I know that the temporal brain thinks in a temporal manner. Infinity has absolutely nothing to do with Time at all. It's no wonder that I got dizzy! ....but our "mind", that's a different thing altogether!////JACK:  Archimedes was sitting in a bathtub when the idea came to him on how to measure the volume of water displaced by his body.  He shouted out, "Eureka," which means, "I have found it."

 FROM HOPEFUL IN SOUTHFIELD:  Here is a gardening quote that seems to tie in with your WW:
"Organic farming appealed to me because it involved searching for and discovering nature's pathways, as opposed to the formulaic approach of chemical farming. The appeal of organic farming is boundless, this mountain has no top, this river has no end." Eliot Coleman writing in "The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Garden"////JACK:  Inventors are always trying to come up with perpetual motion machines.  What does a physicist say about that?

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  MLK had a real way with words, didn't he?!  As more and more galaxies, farther and farther away are being discovered, I begin to get the idea of "Infinity". Reading about sending a capsule with earth "information" to a distant planet in a different galaxy, which will take over 100 years to even arrive there, boggles my mind!  Those who have traveled out of body, in near-death experiences, seem to get a "peek" at timelessness...What mysteries we have yet to uncover and experience!////JACK:  I guess that the concept of eternal life is a kind of infinity.  BTW, sometimes it's referred to as "everlasting" life.  What's the differenece?

 FROM MEDD-O-LANE:  I have wondered a time or two how God understands  all the languages that people use to pray to Him plus the meaning of each word of that language.////JACK:  God became human in Jesus, to help us understand him, but he is more than human, which is beyond our comprehension.  God is a word that says, "There's a lot that I don't understand."

 ROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  Lemniscate is such a lovely word though…In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate may refer to any of several figure-eight or ∞-shaped curves   The word comes from the Latin "lēmniscātus" meaning "decorated with ribbons", which in turn may come from the ancient Greek island of Lemnos where ribbons were worn as decorations, or alternatively may refer to the wool from which the ribbons were made.  Once again, you got me thinking.  Thanks!////JACK:  A survey was made of the most beautiful sounding English words.  "Cellar door" came in first.  Soliloquy and serendipity were also on the list.  I'd add lemniscate.  What would you add?

 FROM WALMART REV:  Interesting...I'm following your example and call it God myself...first thought that came to my mind with "infinity" was the introduction of the television program, Ben Casey..."birth, life, death, infinity".////JACK:  I never watched Ben Casey.  I was busy watching Mr. Ed.

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Very interesting Comments!  Your idea of adding God as the unexplored region was wonderful.  It's true too.  He's always there no matter where we are.  We must accept the finite disappointments of this life knowing there won't be any in the next and final life.  God is good and infinite. ////J:  Robert Louis Stevenson wrote:  "This world is full of a number of things.  I'm sure we should all be happy as kings."  If that's so, think what it will be like in "the next world."