Cosmic Egg, Jealousy and Rhetoric

Remarks I made (The Island, 12 Oct) on Upul Wijayawardhana’s article on Astronomy, Astrology, Cosmology, etc., in The Island  of 07 October, weren’t at all meant to be ‘snide’ or derogatory as he wrongly alleges in his 15 October The Island article! I just would have liked him to delve somewhat deeper into the subjects he referred to in his article’s title, without fanning out tongue-in-cheek (his phrase) in various directions anecdotally. He listed scientists doing excellent work both at home and abroad, throwing in vignettes too from their lives. This is inspiring, of course, and cause for much pride; but it would have been more useful if he had included, even briefly, some specific findings from their work that had a bearing on his article’s title.

I am sorry I did not ‘expand’ more on the ‘cosmic-egg’ as, he says, he had wished. Far finer heads are grappling with it with little or no success; its understanding could well be even outside the confines of science as we know it. My purpose was to point out that the Big-Bang couldn’t have been the start of it all, as casually accepted by some. Let’s be happy anyway that the ‘cosmic-egg’ did  ‘expand’ by itself to make the Universe – even without my help!

 In his  15 October article again in a familiar vein, he asks in his title,  ‘Jealousy: is it in our genes?’  As before, he then wavers away to give detailed accounts of some scientists doing excellent work abroad, and of Yohani, the successful young singer, and exhorts us, I assume, not to be jealous of them. Message taken; thanks!

To return to his rhetorical title, if jealousy is indeed in our genes no DNA sequence has been found for it as yet, but fingers are always crossed!

Let’s not scoff at it overmuch either; jealousy’s quite human; and harmless too – but only if indulged in extremely lightly and in passing; it could even prompt initiative and creativity!

 IVOR TITTAWELLA