I was struck by the caption on this historical event. The headline claimed that on this date, July 2, 1843, an alligator rained from the sky in Charleston, South Carolina. This, during an incredible thunderstorm that day. They said that no one saw the alligator getting “to” the area, and everyone agreed (at the time). The only explanation could be that the alligator rained from the sky. Most likely, an act of god.
Now, I lived in Charleston for a number of years, on Meeting Street. And I’m very familiar with the spot that this alligator descended from the clouds, at the corner of Anson and Wentworth Streets. The location is less than 1500 feet from the Cooper River. That’s about a quarter of a mile if a crow is flying. Or if an alligator is walking.
Most likely, the peninsula flooded, as it often does in rainstorms, and that good gator simply swam along Wentworth Street to the corner of Anson. It is a simple and likely explanation to this remarkable story.
Along the same lines, I watched a scary show last night. It was CBS’s weekly show, “Evil,” that aired some time ago. I saw the first episode last evening, just the dogs and I glued to the screen. The premise is that a special trio of people investigates “the extraordinary” for the Catholic Church to prove or disprove certain events. Anything from possessions to miracles.
While only one of the three people is a “believer,” the other two suggest that there is a scientific explanation for everything, and they set out to illustrate those clarifications.
One thing the “believer” said struck me. He pointed out that science only studies that which is (or can be) repeated. And some things in this world only happen once.
It is true.
I am a strong supporter of science. I get very upset when people toss aside scientific facts, proven beyond a reason of a doubt by very some smart people. The people who throw away these facts either don’t understand OR, don’t want to be wrong. Vaccinations are a great example of this. Climate change is another.
So yes. Give me the decoder ring, my ID badge, and sign me up for the Science Club, because I believe in science.
On the other hand, I believe in the unbelievable. The unknown, the unproven, the things that have only happened one time in this world and will never happen again.
Just for levity, we can bring in the recent Pentagon report concerning UFO sightings. The report addressed 144 credible incidents, caught on tape, video, or otherwise. Of those 144 occurrences, only one could be explained. This got my attention.
One of the “possibilities” they suggested for all the other events was that this might be technology developed by foreign countries, which is unknown to the United States. If that is the case, that really gets my attention. And. We are in a bucketload full of trouble, if that is true.
Returning to the heart of the matter.
I think the world is full of mysterious occurrences. Some can be resolved with scientific delineations. And others are unknown to humankind — only because they are unknown to humankind. There is a side of things we are incapable of understanding. It is my assertion that humans are not the supreme beings in this space and time. Not even by a long shot.
So today, if you see an alligator thumbing for a ride on a street corner in your neighborhood, there’s probably a perfectly good explanation behind it. But then again. Maybe not.
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“… signs of a life that we cannot explain are everywhere, vibrating by the side of the life of every day.”
― Maurice Maeterlinck, The Treasure of the Humble
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“Miracles are not contrary to nature but only contrary to what we know about nature.”
― St. Augustine
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“At times it feels like the whole universe is pushing you to do something.”
― Linda Westphal
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