(no subject)
This morning I woke up thinking about the famous Michelangelo painting, “The Creation of Adam”:
The painting is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and was created around 1511 CE. Supposedly, the painting depicts the Biblical story in which God gives Adam the “divine spark” of life.
A few quarters ago my neurology professor told our class about a hypothesis proposed in 1990 by a doctor named Frank Lynn Meshberger who noted that, when seen as a whole, the people and shapes that form God’s immediate background are an anatomically accurate depiction of the human brain (a mid-sagittal cross section). Check it out:
And here’s a tracing of the human brain (first) compared to a tracing of God’s background (second):
In my opinion, the most compelling part of this comparison is the weird two-toed angel leg that's hanging just left of the blue scarf- it’s a dead ringer for the pituitary gland, which has an anterior and posterior division. It’s a well known fact that Michelangelo loved anatomy and dissected cadavers in his spare time, but if you believe that the painting’s God/brain similarity is intentional (I’m sold), the question then becomes “why”? Did Michelangelo paint God as a brain simply b/c he found the concept interesting or amusing, or was he trying to express his beliefs concerning the “divine spark” that God supposedly gave man? Perhaps mankind’s greatest gift is that of the brain, not the soul? Of course religious fanatics bristle at the idea of a subversive message hidden in what appears to be pious, religious artwork, but man...I think its awesome.
Wellll, other than marveling at the similarities between God’s blue scarf and the vertebral artery, what have I been up to? It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on here, hasn't it? Right now I’m still on vacation but I have to (get to?) go back to school next week. I’ve been having a great few weeks- Joe came and we went to Bumbershoot (pictures), then I went home to Maryland and my family for a week (no pictures yet), then John’s parents came for a visit (pictures).
In between all of that goodness, I started a new job. I’m working w/a man who sustained a spinal cord injury 11 months ago- helping him w/his morning and night routine. I’ve been working a lot during break, but when school starts back up I’ll work Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7:30-10:30am. The morning routine consists of range of motion exercises, bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing etc. It’s very interesting and it’s nice to have a job that’s relevant to my future career.
Tomorrow I’m volunteering at the UW Medical Center for National Fall Prevention Day. I’m going to talk to people about home modifications to prevent falls, how to choose proper footwear, exercises to improve balance, and stuff like that. I’m looking forward to it :)
But, right now I better go- I’m headed to Literacy Source for a Citizenship Celebration in honor of all the amazing students who have become citizens in the past year. Should be fun!
The painting is a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and was created around 1511 CE. Supposedly, the painting depicts the Biblical story in which God gives Adam the “divine spark” of life.
A few quarters ago my neurology professor told our class about a hypothesis proposed in 1990 by a doctor named Frank Lynn Meshberger who noted that, when seen as a whole, the people and shapes that form God’s immediate background are an anatomically accurate depiction of the human brain (a mid-sagittal cross section). Check it out:
And here’s a tracing of the human brain (first) compared to a tracing of God’s background (second):
In my opinion, the most compelling part of this comparison is the weird two-toed angel leg that's hanging just left of the blue scarf- it’s a dead ringer for the pituitary gland, which has an anterior and posterior division. It’s a well known fact that Michelangelo loved anatomy and dissected cadavers in his spare time, but if you believe that the painting’s God/brain similarity is intentional (I’m sold), the question then becomes “why”? Did Michelangelo paint God as a brain simply b/c he found the concept interesting or amusing, or was he trying to express his beliefs concerning the “divine spark” that God supposedly gave man? Perhaps mankind’s greatest gift is that of the brain, not the soul? Of course religious fanatics bristle at the idea of a subversive message hidden in what appears to be pious, religious artwork, but man...I think its awesome.
Wellll, other than marveling at the similarities between God’s blue scarf and the vertebral artery, what have I been up to? It’s been a while since I’ve written anything on here, hasn't it? Right now I’m still on vacation but I have to (get to?) go back to school next week. I’ve been having a great few weeks- Joe came and we went to Bumbershoot (pictures), then I went home to Maryland and my family for a week (no pictures yet), then John’s parents came for a visit (pictures).
In between all of that goodness, I started a new job. I’m working w/a man who sustained a spinal cord injury 11 months ago- helping him w/his morning and night routine. I’ve been working a lot during break, but when school starts back up I’ll work Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7:30-10:30am. The morning routine consists of range of motion exercises, bathing, grooming, toileting, dressing etc. It’s very interesting and it’s nice to have a job that’s relevant to my future career.
Tomorrow I’m volunteering at the UW Medical Center for National Fall Prevention Day. I’m going to talk to people about home modifications to prevent falls, how to choose proper footwear, exercises to improve balance, and stuff like that. I’m looking forward to it :)
But, right now I better go- I’m headed to Literacy Source for a Citizenship Celebration in honor of all the amazing students who have become citizens in the past year. Should be fun!