Unlike wooden puppets on a stage, totally lacking volition and completely dependent upon skilled, human manipulation, people, while not suffering comparable dependency, do have an all pervasive “legal” impediment to their movement.
The Law of Gravity, eternal and timeless, unlike man made law, is not subject to revision, interpretation or, amendment. In keeping with such overarching and fixed authority, it would appear that the only intrinsically relevant direction or movement on the planet is “up” and “down”; travel on the planet’s surface to any point of navigation on the compass, regardless of the distance of the expedition, would pale by any comparison.
In fact, the attraction of gravity is so much an ever-present “given” in the geometry of our lives that we seem to act and think in such a way that one could conclude that we expend little or no energy thinking about the subject.
Strangely and interestingly, while we would appear to take no overt notice of the force of the planet’s attraction, a contrary conclusion may well be entertained by merely taking the time to examine our everyday vocabulary and speech.
“Up” and “Down” being the operative words, it may be pointed out that our “up” words (directionally resistant to the authority and direction of gravity) are in the positive or aspirational context, while words in our “down” category (submission, obedience) are noticeably less positive in tone and meaning.
Such words as, “upbeat,” “upgrade” ”feeling up,” “uplift.” “upturn,” “upward and onward,” “upward mobility,” “uppity,” “up with….,” “holding up” and so many other words of positive or progressive context.
“Down” words, are less positive, less aspirational: “down size,” “down in the mouth,” low spirits,” “feeling low,” lower class,” low turnout. “down- tick,” “heading down,” “downtrodden,” and so many others of unhappy or disappointed aspect.
Gravity language then, utilized to express mood or perception, reveals that we are, subliminally, well aware that our existence completely and continuously depends upon the continuance of earth’s attractive properties. Perhaps we are a bit too fearful to consciously dwell on a life and death subject over which we have absolutely no control.
Go Gravity!
plinyblogdotcom 