Invisible Connections

Invisible Connections

For William James Calvert

His Father Charles and his Aunty Karen.

I dedicate these poems to their future and the future of all on our Spaceship - Planet Earth.

A quote from an inspirational thinker, designer, inventor and futurist, Buckminster Fuller, (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) who wrote many books, most particular to this book, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, and designed the geodesic dome.

“If success or failure of this planet and of human beings depended on how I am and what I do….HOW WOULD I BE? WHAT WOULD I DO?”

R. Buckminster Fuller

ISBN: 978-0-646-87301-5

Text © Em Goldy 2006

Illustrations © Geoff Forster 2021

Cover design Em Goldie

Marilyn Goldie trading as Em Goldy Creations

Printed and bound by Big Cat Print, Timor, Victoria, Australia.

Second Edition 2022

Printed and bound by Bart n Print P/L, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Em Goldy.

The spiral galaxy M83 which is believed to be similar in size and shape to the Milky Way Galaxy

Contents

Copyright

Big View - In Outer Space

Big View - Heading back home

Big View - Borders and Division

The Elements - air, water and pollution

The Elements I - air

The Elements II - water

The Elements III - Renewable Resources

The Elements IV - Limited Resources

Who we are - Humans and DNA

Who we are - Humans and Communication

Who? - if not you, then who?

References and suggestions for further research

Acknowledgements

Author’s Note

This book is meant to convey some of the elements of life which connects all living beings, animals, plants, and insects, fish etc. living on Planet Earth.

I call these elements Invisible Connections.

When our connectedness is overlooked or misunderstood, then humans easily fall into the trap of believing we are separate and special. Each human has the essence of the Creator, some call God or Allah, or White Spirit. This, along with our animal and Earth travellers, makes this planet (to the best of our knowledge) unique. For us to pass on a planet, which is habitable and peaceful, to coming generations, we need to begin now practising peaceful means of living together. We are required to embrace difference and celebrate our similarities.

Please go on this journey, and then do your own exploration to add to the information contained with these pages. Follow the steps on the next page or just go to whichever page takes your interest.

Happy travels, Em

Big View - In Outer Space

Action - with imagination in high gear

Let us imagine we can fly beyond the boundaries of our galaxy.

Past the point where satellites circle the planet; past our solar system into the wide, almost empty yet busy blackness of space.

Fly with me high above the Earth

Past the planets we know;

Fly with me amongst stars which shine With a golden yellowy glow.

Look out from this place on high

Where stars and planets abound, Home to millions of galaxies

Some flat, some spiral and some round.

Now, take a moment to look back: Can you see the blue and white sphere? On the edge of a galaxy hanging in space That is our home, your home, one we hold dear.

A wondrous galaxy - The Milky Way: Here in full view; its centre shining bright. We see so little from our planet’s shores Only from far away can we ever see this sight.

Venus, Earth, and Mars on November 18, 2020, as seen via the NASA-ESA Solar Orbiter (SolO). This image was captured from about 155.7 million miles (250.6 million km) away. That’s in contrast to our sun’s distance from Earth of about 93 million miles (150 million km). In this image, the sun is located on the right, outside the image frame. Image via ESA/ NASA/ NRL/ Solar Orbiter/ SolOHI.

Big View - Heading back home

Action - with imagination in high gear

The journey from space continued.

Fly closer now, enough to see the Earth rotate. With its family of planets, it loops around the sun; was it fate. That Earth is liveable for each and every one?

Stand with me upon the moon

So familiar in our skies; Watch as earth appears For a moment, on moon’s horizon it lies.

Now in full view, we get a glimpse of ice caps, land and sea. This planet, our only home, how wise it would be

To remember humans are united by this fact

We share this space-ship home,

Linked, interdependent, joined by a silent pact.

No matter how we look at it we are united to the core, We are all the same and we are one, Connected to all life - plants, animals, all species, As we journey around the Sun.

When you see the Moon way up in the sky, it’s hard to get a sense of perspective about how big the Moon really is. Just how big is the Moon compared to Earth? Let’s take a look at the diameter first. The Moon is approximately 27% the size of the Earth. What about surface area?. The surface area of the whole Earth is 510 million square km, so the area of the Moon compared to Earth is only 7.4%.

This view from the Apollo 11 spacecraft shows the Earth rising above the moon’s horizon. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth’s Sea on the nearside. Coordinates of the center of the terrain are 85 degrees east longitude and 3 degrees north latitude. While astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander, and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot, descended in the Lunar Module (LM) “Eagle” to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) “Columbia” in lunar orbit.

Big View - Borders and Division

Action - With your imagination in high gear - Nearer to Earth

As we hover 72 kilometres above the Earth

Land masses are now clearly seen; Watch out for your country, the land of you birth; Can you see other places where you have been?

But look! Where are the red lines which divide The continents, islands and seas

Where billions of humans work and reside?

You’ll only find them on maps - what does this mean?

What’s that you say?

No lines are to be found?

You can search and search forever from this place on high. There are no lines to be found, and do you know why?

Borders and divisions are man-made,

Drawn to possess resources and keep people apart; Fear and perceptions of differences between humankind, began creating separation. How did it start?

We forgot there is only one Human family, one species that is all;

And one celestial home, our beautiful Earth. So fighting over resources, food, water and land, Is kind of dumb, destructive and of little worth.

View of Earth from 71 kilometres in space.

The Elements - air, water and pollution

Action - Imagine Earth is like the moon, dry, desolate and windless.

“What are these elements - water and air? What are they to me; why should I care?”

Let me tell you a story so that you will know. the importance of elements and how they flow.

Humans depend on the Earth to live Luckily for us, it has much to give:

Air for breathing, water to drink, Without them what would happen, what do you think?

If water is polluted, as many rivers are. Where do we get more clean water? Not from afar.

And when the air is fouled by chemicals and smoke Becoming toxic, unbreathable, it is not a joke.

As polluted air and water flow around the Earth, Everything is affected, it devalues its worth.

“Okay, I now understand why I must care, because there is only one source for water and air. Without them everything would die. Again, I see our connectedness and the reasons why

If some make the elements unusable, we all pay the cost Best to work together before our Earthly home is lost.”

An atmosphere is a layer or a set of layers of gases surrounding a planet or other material body, held in place by the gravity of that body. An atmosphere is more likely to be retained if the gravity it is subject to is high and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. The atmosphere of Earth is composed of nitrogen (about 78%), oxygen (about 21%), argon (about

0.9%), carbon dioxide (0.03%) and other gases in trace amounts.[3] Oxygen is used by most organisms for respiration; nitrogen is fixed by bacteria and lightning to produce ammonia used in the construction of nucleotides and amino acids; and carbon dioxide is used by plants, algae and cyanobacteria for photosynthesis. The atmosphere helps to protect living organisms from genetic damage by solar ultraviolet radiation, solar wind and cosmic rays. The current composition of the Earth’s atmosphere is the product of billions of years of biochemical modification of the paleoatmosphere by living organisms.

British poet W. H. Auden once noted, “Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” Yet while we all know water is crucial for life, we trash it anyway. Some 80 percent of

the world’s wastewater is dumped -largely untreated - back into the environment, polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans.

The Elements I - air

Action - Notice how wind and water flow

Earth is constantly moving in a perpetual spin

When it comes to air and water, there is much more to know; These elements are not stuck in one place, they constantly flow.

Moving air is called wind. We notice it when trees move about This moving air carries oxygen, a gas we cannot do without.

Wind is carried on currents with their own names

Like the Easterlies and Trade winds, but they all do the same.

That is, they keep oxygen flowing around our planetary home, Not in one special place or any particular zone

Air flows - The westerlies (blue) and trade winds (yellow and brown)

The Elements II - Water

Action - Continuing on from the element of air

Water is moved by wind, rain and currents from river to the sea.

In an every moving cycle; this is important for you and me.

How water is recycled requires further explanation

The sun warms Earth’s water creating condensation;

These droplets band together falling to Earth as rain, Ensuring lakes and rivers are filled and flowing again.

It is only when humans stop the flow with reservoirs and dams

We notice changes to the cycle and realise the scams

We have been duped; the landscape changes and becomes devoid of its necessary life force and it is hard to avoid

The realisation is - by stopping and polluting Earth’s water flow

The gains one group makes causes another’s woes.

Again, we have forgotten our interdependence and that water flows for all.

So if you pollute in your country, then dirty rains will fall,

This then travels on currents, so we all end up sharing the mess

Perhaps it is not too late to change and remember our connectedness.

Earth’s sea currents

The Elements III - Renewable Resources

Action - consider what it would be like to have only rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Earth provides all that we and all living beings, need to eat and drink.

Let me ask you something: I bet you like to eat, And quench your thirst A glass of clean, cool water; now that is hard to beat.

Have you considered how Earth supports you every day, By providing food and water? It comes no other way.

The dry Moon cannot fill your cup and Mars has no fields; Jupiter has no fish; Venus has no flour or sugar mills.

So, for your every need, on Earth you must rely For apples, grapes, rice, corn or wheat; And, guess what, this is another reason why:

We all need to work together to keep our planet clean,

Or else, very soon we will find Earth can’t supply clean food and water Which keeps us healthy in body and mind.

The Elements IV - Limited Resources

Action - Consider what life would be like if or when oil, coal, and gas and uranium are no longer available as energy sources.

Many of the Earth’s resources we rely on are finite or become too costly to mine.

There is this thing we like to do, and we like to do it fast; Can you guess it yet, then here’s a clue; quick, look, before it goes past.

To do this thing we have to use resources from the Earth; These resources were made well before your parents’, parents’, parents’ x1000 birth.

In fact, this precious resource was created eons ago, it is hard to get, hidden way down below. Do you know yet of what we speak? This particular resource we seek? It is oil of course, for trucks, ships, planes and trains, and cars which get driven at high speed

There are millions to be filled, so let me explain.

Oil is used by everyone, there is such a great need. And unlike water, which recycles itself by and by All the world’s oilwells will eventually run dry. Then the lack of oil could lead to arguments and feuds NOW is the time to create resources which can be renewed.

Remember all of Earth’s resources are there to be shared, There is enough for everyone, no-one need despair.

It is a matter of working together to create renewable sources

To replace oil, coal, uranium and gas, which has become the norm.

Our connectedness is highlighted once again, we all need energy to survive, And Earth needs to recover from being bombed, dug, drilled and torn.

Who we are - Humans and DNA

Action - Consider who inhabits the Earth and make the decisions.

Humans have the advantage over all life-forms on Earth.

Look across the Planet, notice and you will see Lots of people much like you and me; Look in the mirror to know what I mean But wait! Things aren’t quite what they seem.

Some people, you tell me I will find, Have different colour skin and eyes of another kind. So does this mean they differ from you and me? No, not at all, Humans belong to one huge family.

How can this be so when you look about?

The difference shows, there can be no doubt; For example: almond, slanted and rounded eyes, We also vary in language, colour and size.

I’ll let you into a secret, one to be learned. Which recent tests of our DNA have confirmed We are brother and sisters of the same stock, Joined by common ancestors, a distant African flock.

We grew apart and evolved as we travelled far and wide, Changing to suit the lands where we settled and died. Unfortunately, there were leaders who began to think Only of differences, forgetting our human link

That link connects each of us

here on the Earthly plain We need to remember DNA shows we are all the same.

So when we fight each other, no matter how valiant we think the cause We are fighting our sister and brother. It is time to stop and pause.

This Earth supports us each and every day Without judgement or discrimination. Prejudice arises from those who believe, in difference, limits, borders and separation.

Recognised migration waves out of Africa and back migrations into the continent, as well as the locations of major ancient human remains and archaeological sites (López et al.2015).

DNA’s double-helix structure is on display for the first time in this electron microscope photograph of a small bundle of DNA strands.

Who we are - Humans and Communication

Action - thinking about - how do we know we are human?

Humans are unique in their method of communicationlanguage.

Scientists cannot pin-point with accuracy as to when language evolved, however it could be at least 200,000 years ago.

Tell me please, when you speak

What it is that you seek?

Is it a question, needing an answer that bothers you so? Or a request, command, an order to come, do or go?

Are you pleading and asking a friend for assistance, or to borrow or lend?

Are you a child learning to say Z is for zebra, apple begins with Ayh?

Whatever the reason that you speak

You need to be aware - in this, humans are unique; We created language and there are many types in use, They bind us together, often in tight-knit dialectic groups;

Within those imaginary borders we have already discussed. Ignorant of the sameness of those outsiders who we do not trust.

You see, language connects us because we all want the same:

To be listened to; to be understood and to make a claim,

“I am as important as you think you are.”

If we could remember that, then maybe we would go far Towards the unity of which we all humans seek, We can do it, you know, because we all speak.

Note:

To those of us using signing or mechanical aids to speak The principles of communication are fully realised; And are included in all which makes language unique. No matter the method - tongue, sign or computerised.

A deaf-blind person chats with his friend, using tactile signs.

Who? - If not you, then who?

Humans love to blame someone else for the messes they get themselves into. Just look around you to see for yourselfnotice the blame shifting, the excuses and justifications used for pollution, war, killing and the destruction of the Earth and its living creatures and resources.

Action - The future of all life on Earth depends on someone taking responsibility, are you willing to be responsible for you and your field of influence?

Remembering we are made the same And our difference have been given a name, Like British, Iraqi, Chinese, Muslim, Christian or Jew; There are thousands of legends from which you can choose.

Our difference makes life exciting, challenging; it is never a bore,

Except when we disagree, get greedy, then go to war. Life becomes collateral damage, devalued and easily spent, Fighting unwinnable wars; wasting resources on armaments.

If only you, me, leaders, followers - everyone, could conceive How connected we truly are and then could believe; That living harmoniously is possible but we urgently require every human on Earth to have the same goal and desire.

To join hands in a common bond recognising we are all one, So those living now and future generations to come Can share the unique bounty of our illustrious Earth Humans’ only home; the planet of our birth.

References and suggestions for further research

Buckminster Fullergoodreads.com/author/quotes/44478.R_Buckminster_Fuller bfi.org/about-fuller/biography

Venus and Earthearthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/in-space-how-far-away-can-you-seeearth

The Milky Wayastrotourismwa.com.au/milky-way-galaxy/

Moon and Earthuniversetoday.com/20489/moon-compared-to-earth/

Earth from Moonmoon.nasa.gov/resources/187/apollo-11-mission-image-view-of-moonlimbwith-earth-on-the-horizon/

Atmosphèreen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere

Water pollutionnrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know - China’s controversial dam abc.net.au/news/2021-05-25/chinas-plan-to-build-mega-dam-onyarlung-tsangpo-brahmaputra/100146344

The elementsair -

who.int/airpollution/infographics/en/

Sea currentscourses.lumenlearning.com/earthscience/chapter/currents/

Saving the earthabc.net.au/news/2021-03-21/gardening-as-a-reprieve-fromthecoronavirus-pandemic/13050976

Who We Areen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_human_migrations

DNA - livescience.com/25163-dna-directly-photographed-for-first-time.html

Language - britannica.com/topic/language

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5525259/#:~:text=Because%20all%20 human%20groups%20have,ochre%20%5B7%2C%208%5D. sciencemag.org/news/2015/01/human-language-may-have-evolved-

helpour-ancestors-make-

tools#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20long%20debated %20when,traces%20in%20the%20archaeological%20record.

Sign languageaadb.org/factsheets/db_communications.html

Inside back coverNative American Quote - quoteinvestigator.com/2011/10/20/last-treecut/

Acknowledgements – graphics

Page 11 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerlies who.int/airpollution/infographics/en/

Page 19 Who we are - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_human_migrations livescience.com/25163-dna-directly-photographed-for-first-time.html

All other graphics painted by Geoff Forster