You Gotta Promise Not To Stop When I Say When
Monthly Archives: May 2024
Glimmer on The Trail of Tears
I knew only one grandparent.
The ones on my father’s side died before I was born. So did the grandfather on my mom’s half, leaving me with Daisy Mae Johnson.
Granny was a tough lady. She lived alone in tobacco country in North Carolina. Smoked like a chimney, carried a spit can for her chewing tobacco, and kept a revolver in her purse in case anyone wanted to fuck around and find out.
I used to marvel at the Johnson sisters. Mom and her three siblings each outlived their spouses and hardly shrunk in grief when left on their own. They kept jobs, raised kids, and held more than their own at a time when women weren’t allowed to hold much other than their children.
Where does that toughness come from? How is it forged in hardship?
I may have found out. More importantly, I may have seen what it looks like.
My aunt Lessie shared a history I knew nothing about. My great-grandmother was a Tuscarora Native American. In the early 1800’s, mom’s grandparents were forced out of North Carolina and sent on the Trail of Tears, the displacement and murder of more than 60,000 Native Americans.
Desperate, mom’s forebears took a chance and left her grandmother on the doorstep of a white family in the hopes that they would adopt and raise her as one of their own.
They did, naming her Susanna Pierce and spawning a family line that kept its Carolina roots. They remain there to this day.
Recently, ChatGPT announced new generative Artificial Intelligence that takes a seismic leap in collaborations in design, including photography. I uploaded some pictures of my grandmother, along with some details of great granny’s Tuscarora heritage. The AI program extrapolated bone structure to get an approximate rendition, as there are no actual pictures of the family back then.
The above picture is the first of my great grandmother. Meet Susanna Pierce.
Beautiful, isn’t she?
Open Letter from Christopher Hitchens’ Heavenly Ghost
Dear Earthbound,
It is often said that faith is a necessary component of the human condition, a crutch upon which we lean in times of uncertainty and despair. But I contend that there is a faith far greater than the ephemeral and often contradictory dogmas that populate the world’s religions—a faith that is not only rational but verifiable. This faith is found in the realms of science and mathematics.
Unlike the parochial and divisive doctrines that demand blind allegiance, science and mathematics offer a universal language, one that transcends culture, ethnicity, and creed. They are the great equalizers, providing a framework through which we can understand the cosmos and our place within it. They are not based on the shifting sands of myth and superstition but on the bedrock of empirical evidence and logical deduction.
Consider the elegance of a mathematical proof or the predictive power of a scientific theory. These are not mere conjectures or the fanciful imaginings of the human mind; they are the distilled essence of centuries of human inquiry and observation. They are the culmination of countless hours of rigorous experimentation and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. In science and mathematics, we find a faith that is earned through toil and scrutiny, not one that is inherited or imposed.
Moreover, this faith is self-correcting. Unlike religious dogmas that resist change and cling to outdated notions, science and mathematics are inherently progressive. They embrace new evidence and are willing to revise their conclusions in light of new data. This is not a weakness but a strength, a testament to their commitment to truth over tradition.
In the natural world, we see the manifestation of this faith in the laws that govern the universe. From the intricate dance of subatomic particles to the majestic expansion of galaxies, the principles of science and mathematics are the threads that weave the tapestry of our reality. They reveal a cosmos that is not chaotic or capricious but ordered and comprehensible.
Yet, this faith does not demand uncritical acceptance. It encourages skepticism and rewards curiosity. It invites us to question, to probe, to seek out the unknown. It is a faith that empowers rather than enslaves, that illuminates rather than obscures.
In embracing science and mathematics, we do not abandon the search for meaning or the quest for transcendence. On the contrary, we elevate it. We find a deeper, more profound sense of wonder in the intricate patterns and profound mysteries of the universe. We glimpse the infinite within the finite, the eternal within the ephemeral.
So let us cast aside the shackles of dogma and superstition and embrace the one true faith that offers not only answers, but the tools to seek them. Let us find solace not in the unchanging edicts of ancient texts but in the dynamic, ever-evolving pursuit of knowledge. For in science and mathematics, we find a faith worthy of our devotion, one that enriches our understanding and ennobles our spirit.
Yours in reason and inquiry,
Hitch
p.s. Good luck finding a smoke here.
