One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
Spiritual Thought
“We can understand ourselves much better by understanding other cases. The study of a single instance of extraterrestrial life—no matter how humble, a microbe would be just fine—will deprovincialize biology. It will show us what else is possible.”
Carl Sagan, Episode 2 of the Cosmos miniseries
Ode to the Cosmic Fugue
We were melodies holding hands—
finger phrases tickling nails.
We walked single file on a winding path—
heal phrases stepped on by toes.
Our hands clasped, parted, clasped again,
never touching for more than a bar—
my left arm stretching out behind me,
your right arm reaching out in front.
All the while
a mosquito choir tormented
this daydream of lovemaking,
only a dream,
and only mine.
We never quite sang the same tune,
you then I,
I then you.
We giggled all the way through…
our concerto of almosts.
The world’s King Solomons adore you;
each offers you gifts of his finest
wines and fruits—
every thousand nights
or so.
I wanted to hold you for a thousand nights.
And when I began the lonely coda,
every note fell as a tear drop—
a heartstring snapping,
a solitary reprise of melodies,
always flirting,
never marrying…
our theme cursed too soon
by rapid fire variations.
10,000 ears drank this tragedy;
5,000 bodies stood and applauded.
Did any of them understand?
The universe has a trillion
years of silence left to give,
only once gives us a phrase,
a brief time to hold hands.
This it does for one and all
who sing their single tune,
before fading at the final bar
line into silence.
Points for Reflection and Discussion
The above poem was prompted by rewatching the second episode of Carl Sagan’s classic documentary series Cosmos. Here are some ideas brought forth in the episode, with questions tailored to Mormon readers. Please read and respond in the comments section:
- The stuff of life, carbon and organic compounds, are present throughout the universe, sometimes in rich supply. How does this reflect or conflict with the creation stories put forward in the Standard Works?
- In Cosmos, Sagan relates an example of artificial selection in the development of a breed of crab that happen to look like samurai warriors. Apparently, these particular crabs have flourished because local fishermen refuse to harvest them. How does this compare to the Mormon doctrine that “there are many called, but few are chosen.” (D&C 121:34) How has this notion of spiritual selection affected human culture within Mormonism?
- A governing principle of evolution is that life develops by the process of natural selection (some 4 billion years of it here on Earth). One of the unsavory realities of this process is that life, all life, tends to create more offspring than can survive or adequately be cared for. Given this is a demonstrated scientific fact, how do we respond to the reality that many human children are born into communities which fail to adequately feed, shelter, protect and educate them. Please keep in mind, many of these communities identify themselves as pro-life.
- Apparently, the act of sex was “stumbled upon” by microbes long ago, well before humans arose on Earth. How many years, just a few or over a billion, did it take for sex to become regarded as a sin? When did this long-established, perfectly natural biological activity, become a tool for shaming individuals and consolidating power around a privileged few?
- To read Episode 1 in this series, visit The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean. This post’s featured image is a PowerPoint creation utilizing a stock image of sheet music and a forest picture of Michigan’s Waterloo Recreation Area taken by Jake C. Thank you for reading.
Wheat & Tares 
I believe the original purpose of encouraging women specifically to keep sex within marriage was to provide women and children with a male provider during the more vulnerable time frames of pregnancy, nursing and infancy when maternal and infant death were more common so as to insure better survival of the species. The building of partnership and long term family units has undeniable benefits in the survival rates of children.
The context of sexuality was very different from what we have today. A woman who had sex could expect she was likely to be burdened with a pregnancy. Contraception and abortion have irrevocably changed how we think about sex. It becomes more of a pleasurable or romantic activity without the burden of expected child bearing. Control over child bearing has allowed women to assume a more equal position in society and unhooked sex from the expectations of being randomly abandoned without help or care in the event of conception. I believe this is part of why sexual shaming is so focused on the female. Females bear the brunt of the consequences of conception whereas a man can get away with only one sexual interaction and avoid helping with that child.
Societal structures to encourage the man to stay involved in caring for the child have great long term value. Encouraging women to avoid sex without the promise of support has served that purpose.
There are animals and birds that will punish an unfaithful partner, so that would be considering certain types of sex a sin.
Thank you lws329 and Gordon! Really interesting points that show the overlap between biology and culture.