Westmount's Harry Mayerovitch

Juggler

Harry Mayerovitch

At the same time I used to think that this was probably the most inane waste of time and energy one could devise. Why does he do this?

I have since answered the question. He does it because he CAN. And I am convinced this is a built-in faculty essential to the control of our lives and to our survival.

Is this not the motivation for our travel to the moon, for the discovery of the human gene, for our fascination with the computer's broad band? We achieve these things because we are convinced that we can - that nothing is beyond the scope of our abilities and our fantasies.

It is true that we end up with a mixed bag. All knowledge is irreversible and brings with it good news and bad news. Einstein led us to a greater knowledge of the universe - but his theories also led to the atomic bomb, The theories of Babbage and others led to the discovery of the computer and the internet. It also contributed to the spread of child pornography and of bomb-making capacities. The isolation of the human gene led to invaluable medical discoveries but also to the temptation to clone the human organism.

But in the long run we seem to overcome these aberrations. The one-time dropping of the bomb led to universal steps to control its use. Our sense of survival (not necessarily couched in moral terms) seems eventually to pull us away from the brink. The search for knowledge is a dangerous game but one we seem to be committed to. I believe, with all its dangers, knowledge can only enrich our lives and contribute to our survival.

Harry

It is true that each discovery does not necessarily satisfy each particular desire or expectation. But eventually we all seem to benefit. Let us remember that in a short 1000 years, in spite of disasters, wars, earthquakes, famines and epidemics, we have increased the average life span from 30 to 70 years.

Harry Mayerovitch
2/14/01

See Art by Harry Mayerovitch Artist

Wed 1084 Dec 11th
2400x182 1084 slide show

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