A quick reminder!


Today while studying geography, my son, Om asked me about Earth’s orbit around the Sun, the distance earth travels around the sun in a year. I didn't remember it and hence I searched on Google and read it on Wikipedia within a few seconds (many thanks to the Internet, the Web, Google and Wikipedia, and to the people who created these technologies and sites – this would have easily taken me at least over an hour without these to buy/find a book and read the information). The answer is … hold your breath, the Earth rotates around the Sun at the speed of 30 Kms/second (1800 KMs/hour) to cover a distance of about 946,080,000 KMs in a year, while rotating around its own axis at 25 KM/second (1500 KMs/hour)! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_orbit).

Now I know why they say, fact is stranger than fiction! Facts are anytime more surprising, fascinating, amazing than fiction. Who needs fiction to get amused? And this is just one example! The world is full of such astonishing examples of creation of the Nature! I think human mind is simply incapable to produce any fiction that is beyond and more fascinating than these facts of Mother Nature.

Going a step further, there are many planets rotating the Sun in our Solar system which is one of the many in our galaxy that is one of the thousands of galaxies in the Universe! Wow! The distances are in light-years! Can you imagine that? Now come back to the quarrel you just had with somebody over some issue and something that is worrying you of late. How significant is that in the whole scheme of things? Just have fun!

This is why I love to help Om in his studies. And that is why I love to spend time with kids in general. Their questions should make us think and find answers we have long forgotten in the ‘busy-ness’ of life!

I probably covered a distance of a few thousand KMs around the Sun while writing this, and you too while reading this! Phew!

Thank you for reading this far! Shall appreciate your thoughts.

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