Humans Are Puny

If you haven't already read the story, it's tragic. I guess the first, most practical moral of the story is that cranes are really dangerous.

But the New York Times images are also a really interesting story about scale and structural desire. In the pictures, humans surround themselves with a huge quantity of material that, if it's organized correctly, can house hundreds. But if it's not organized correctly, even for a second, it just becomes weight, and does whatever it is weight does. One slip and earth and Newtonian physics win.

You look at photos like this, and you see the scale of our endeavors and dreams and compare that to our actual size and weakness, and you wonder how we got this far at all, and who on earth we think we are. Don't you?

Comments

[Michael Konrad]

Absolutely...I think about this all the time.

The Earth is a finite support system. We turn around and reinforce the Earth's existing system with our own structures and methods of getting more out of any given space, thereby increasing it's capacity. Then we pile more and more on top of it all until we either can't fit anymore or something gives.

Why build against Nature and challenge the laws of Physics? Why not try to live and work more harmoniously with the environment? On the other hand, I guess every standing building has achieved some level of harmony. In the end Nature would still probably turn around and whoop our ass every now and then no matter what we do.

Who do we think we are is right. And perhaps a more important question: is it worth it?

[Oriane]

This is part of why I enjoy a good earthquake now and then. If a building isn't built "right" (to nature's liking), boom, it's gone. It's a natural leveler, so to speak.

[Pretty Lady]

I've always wanted to visit Beauvais Cathedral, myself. My high-school Humanities book billed it as 'the cathedral that exceeded the limits of physics.' They say the remaining portions of it are sublime.

[MBT Online]

It's so nice to have you do all of the research for us. It makes our decision making so much easier!! Thanks.