Of course we look up with wonder, but as we do so we neglect to see ahead of us.

The recent images from the James Webb Telescope have provided us with vibrant views of distant heavens never seen before (and not possible with the naked eye). Yes, scenes millions of light years behind us captivate our imagination. The pretty pictures distract us from our earthly concerns.

This planet is heating up. We are, right now, experiencing unprecedented climate change; more than we know and much more than some people will admit.

When we take into account how much money governments spend on space exploration we have to question how much good that revenue could be doing right here on Earth?

For example, The United States alone has spent more than $200 billion on the Space Shuttle program and another $50 billion on the International Space Station. Since its creation in 1958, right through to 2018, NASA spent almost one trillion inflation-adjusted dollars.

That figure, with capital “T”, does not account for monies spent by other governments throughout the world.

Canada, alone, spent $110 million to develop the Canadarm; a device best known for capturing, repairing, and deploying satellites, missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, and docking the space shuttle to the Russian Mir Space Station. Millions more was spent developing the Canadarm 2; a bigger, smarter version of its predecessor.

I’m most certain further Google searches would show how much more money, globally, was spent to find out more about the universes beyond. With each search I would question its value to humanity.

Whether we talk about millions, billions or trillions, we have to ask ourselves about the good those dollars could do to eradicate poverty or homelessness, or sharply reduce the toxic emissions destroying our atmosphere?

I, myself, have spent countless hours on many days throughout my life simply staring up in awe at clouds, the stars, constellations, and each phase of the moon and how it reacts to, and with, the light of the Sun I always believed was central to our existence. My thoughts were always full of wonder. Why are we here? Where did we come from? What else is out there?

The recent photographs confirm there is far more out there than some of us ever imagined, but we are so fascinated by the sights thousands of light years away that we lose perspective of our earthy concerns.

We have such a limited view of our future that we can’t even answer ourselves when we ask how much time we have to enjoy all that surrounds us?

We can continue to marvel at the real proof in the images of galaxies and heavenly bodies beyond our imagination — and look back historically to the advancements in space exploration — but it seems we can’t see what is ahead.

Or we don’t want to. Imagine that.

© 2022 j.g. lewis

Often, occasionally, sporadically,
even spontaneously,
I make mistakes.
They happen naturally:
a missed word or apostrophe,
my mind gets moving and
I fail to see the errs of my ways,
or errors throughout the day.
It is, or was, or has been
when I write or what I say.
Incidentally or accidentally,
it goes without saying,
but the fact remains
I make mistakes.
Every day.
We learn from our mishaps, or
should anyway, we try to
improve and continue
to count the ways. What we do
and how we behave
counts for a lot.
My eraser rubbed raw
by attempts and change,
I continue to make mistakes.
Forgive me please when
my thoughts go amiss, and
remember I am human amidst
this confusion or corruption
we all experience.
I make mistakes,
I may fail or fall,
yet remain myself, flaws and all.

© 2018 j.g. lewis

So much of my creativity is now based in technology.
   I have, over the past month, updated all of the technology I use with any frequency, replacing first my mobile device, then my primary computer, and finally my camera.
   It was time.
   Technology: you can’t live with it and you can’t live without it.
   My primary computer was almost 15 years old – my digital camera is even older – and has served me well. When I purchased my 17” Apple MacBook Pro, it was state-of-the art with as much storage and memory as you could get at the time.
   The laptop was well–traveled and well used.
   Slowly, the 17” wonder began to loose battery power and performance. A few years back I added a smaller, more efficient, MacBook that I use solely for writing while I tried to get my mainstay computer to last a little longer. I had become accustomed to some of the software and its capabilities, especially on the photography side.
   I left the newspaper industry just as digital photography was coming into our newsroom. At that time, we were actually scanning 35 mm film negatives, just before the entire production of our daily broadsheet abruptly shifted to digital.
   My personal change to digital photography took a little longer. I purchased a digital camera body that would work with the lenses I already owned. I took a course to learn how to use my digital software (becoming Apple certified) before Apply made the decision to stop producing (then stop supporting) its Aperture software. I’ve been using Aperture as long as I can and, truly, cannot use it much longer.
   Changes in digital photography – I refuse to call it “advancement” – is happening almost as quickly as it is with personal computers.
   Advancements with cameras are such that Canon, in its literature, refers to them now as an “image capturing device”.
   To me, it is just a camera.
   I’m not one for drastic change. I function better when I have time to consider anything, time to get to know something, and time to make up my mind for myself.
   As we all know, technology doesn’t allow that time.

after all has been said
there remains far more to know

space
filled with
merely breath

a void

vacancy requires attention

it can hurt
it can heal

there is nothing more to say

silence
is a battle

it can become comfort

a path forward
will move in either direction

what guides you
what haunts you
shimmering light or silken shadows

do you hear the unspoken

forgiveness

do you care to know details
after all has been said

© 2019 j.g. lewis

It’s popular, and it’s alarming.
   Plagiarism has become a bigger problem than ever, and more apparent as social media further casts its spell across every platform and screen. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are all full of bright shiny examples; you see it all the time.
   It’s out there. It is trending.
   A disturbing, disrespectful act, plagiarism is stealing, passing off the ideas or words of another person as one’s own. Examples lack credit or attribution.
   I’ve called out a couple of people over the past few months for blatant
misuse of quotes belonging to someone else.
   One person, a couple of times on her social media feeds, matched lovely quotes (including one by T.S. Eliot) with beautiful black and white photographs of herself. The combination looked great, but nowhere was the poet credited with the original genius.
   Another influencer — in a stylized format featuring her name and image — used the words of a popular motivational speaker. An earlier post, in the same branded format, featured a paraphrased quote by Toni Morrison.
   The Instagram post was made to look like the influencer was the one offering up such compelling advice.
   It was so wrong.
   I sent a comment to the owner of the post (but not the words), informing her the quote belonged to someone else. “It’s great to be inspired, but share the credit,” I said.
   She quickly responded: “I had no clue it was him as it’s just a widely shared quote without his name.”
   See, that’s the problem; nobody does the research. Nobody takes the time to find the source of their inspiration. Nobody bothers.
   It’s sad because the same device used to create the post has the capability to trace the source of the statement. A Google search is so easy.
   Attribution is important. Behind every quotable quote is a writer, an artist or musician, politician or fortune cookie philosopher who laboured over the correct phrasing or came to them in a flash of brilliance.
   They deserve the credit for the deep thought or clever observation. But, these days, they don’t get it.
   Now, I’m not saying that the people I called out are not capable of such profound thought, but it seems they don’t even try. One of them, by simply taking a phrase that has already made its rounds on the Internet, shows how little she was trying to come up with eye-catching content.
   It’s really too bad.
   Plagiarism is a despicable, duplicitous act. It is ethically wrong, morally reprehensible, spiritually bankrupt, and grounds for dismissal in the halls of academia. It should be a source of shame to anyone who seriously commits such a tasteless endeavor.
   Plagiarism is fraudulent, leaves little to the imagination, and corrupts the concept of free thought. No matter how brave and bold the original work was, it becomes empty of its meaning when it is bastardized.
   I’m not saying that every time you plagiarize a kitten dies, or another COVID-19 variant is released unto the world, for it is more serious than that.  Each time you claim the words of others as your own; you dilute the original message of a fellow human being. At the same time, you weaken your own content.
   Be creative. If there is a point you are trying to make, or you are attempting to inspire or provide insight, use your own words (or give credit where credit is due).
   If you chose to pass along an inspiring quote, be inspired yes, but provide attribution (and don’t just hide it deep down in your content).
   Show you know who said it.
   Show you know what you are talking about.
   Show that creativity is more than a pretty picture and a few happy words.  Show the true worth of the words.
   You’ll feel better about it.
   Believe in yourself, and others will believe it too.
   Be authentic.
   Be you.

© 2021 j.g. lewis