Bang! Crash! Wallop!

My Dear Sweet Darlings, as the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy hits the headlines financial pundits are proclaiming this most recent crash to be the largest such event in a hundred years, some are saying that it represents an unprecedented loss with billions of dollars at risk bringing the world teetering on the edge of global recession.

The apparent enormity of these world events will inevitably trickle down to the lowest level. As the super rich have a few less million in the bank you will worriedly scuttle for what crumbs are left, desperately in search of sustenance for your pathetically meagre lifestyles whilst the wealthy lavish themselves in ostentatious luxuries. As the economic climate seems likely to worsen, trepidation, anxiety and panic are in danger of escalating into global catastrophe. Though I remain calm, optimistic even, as you struggle, I find comfort in the irrelevance of your existence. Why? Well this tiny flicker of discomfort is merely a momentary lapse, a minute shift in your welfare.

It all comes down to context. I have become used to chastising the BBC and the media in general though here I am going to sing their praises. Recently The Large Hadron Collider temporarily made the headlines. The largest human experiment in the history of mankind is attempting to understand the universe. Its mission to prove the existence of the ‘Higgs Boson’ the theory that may explain the existence of mass in the universe. The LHC is recreating the conditions milliseconds after The Big Bang, and in doing so may take humanity closer than ever before to understanding the mysteries of the cosmos. Said to me more complex than The Moon landings this fascinating experiment did receive mainstream press attention though a week later the story has sunk deep under the Franco/Swiss border where the LHC is located but the BBC in its wisdom commissioned a series of documentaries to contextualise this endeavour and should be congratulated for its coverage, the BBC is a world class broadcaster, recognised and envied around the world for its quality programming! Though alas you seldom appreciate its efforts you tend to prefer tea-time tittle-tattle to the exploration of the galaxies.

Whilst the LHC attempts to revisit The Big Bang through particle physics, geology too is able to take us back in time. ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ was a recent documentary series on the geology of the Earth and was a fascinating exploration of your planet. The series expertly lead the viewer through era and age explaining the evolution of the planet from the importance of The Moon to the essential algae that drives the atmosphere. The last episode was a wonder and happily corroborated my own theories on the insignificance of humanity. The presenter geologist Iain Stewart eruditely proclaimed in his epilogue that the current ecological debate on global warming is merely a hiccup in the history of this beautiful planet. The environmentalists cry to “Save the Planet” is a somewhat egocentric positioning of humanities role in the history of your globe. The Earth will undoubtedly recover from this impending ecological disaster; Humanity on the other hand probably wont. Humankind as I persistently argue is an infinitely minute particle in the history of The Universe, insignificant, unimportant and irrelevant.

Perhaps bizarrely this comforts my immensely wise but weary soul and I suggest that you too attempt to seek comfort in this reality. An estimated 13.7 billion years ago The Big Bang created your universe; 4.5 billion years ago a cluster of rocks gathered to form Earth, in this vast cosmic context a financial downturn is not even a flea on the back of a blue whale.

Yes, you may struggle more, worry further, constantly moan and whimper, though all is futile as soon my Dearest Darlings your wretched lives will be over, a distant long gone instant for ever lost in the infinite void.

Much Love Ms Coco LaVerne x