The Credo of COSMOS
It’s been almost a month- a whole month- since the COSMOS reboot came on. And there’s a very specific reason I wanted this month themed in the sciences- research writing and creative writing are like long-lost sisters. They undeniably go hand-in-hand. As we wrap up the month, our time is well spent in reflecting- and hypothesizing- what writing can bring to the field. Carl Sagan is my personal idol- and although he isn’t here today, he has a sort of immortality that lives on in an almost spiritual sense (even though he did not look to religion to explain even the most far-fetched questions of the universe). Through his show COSMOS, he was able to nurture and grow the awe and excitement of science into young researchers, budding scientists with the same itch to answer the unanswerable. And with such a breadth as he, it is impossible to think of another way to pioneer in the field of science- it is truly awe-inspiring to think that he would choose such a title for his show, which talked about everything from evolution to alternate dimensions, as cosmos. What a word- as an aficionado of language myself, I cannot help but fall in love with the word, and the idea, of the infinite and unending. And we take for granted that we are able to perceive the endlessness of the universe, but it must be a scary world for ants, then again, who think not towards the sky but towards the ground scanning for a bite to eat. The reboot, I might add, of Dr. Sagan’s original work, is both visually breathtaking and inclusive of a new generation. This generation of budding scientists lives in a truly different and new era; to stimulate our imaginations we need to be bombarded with striking visuals, booming technology, and a most importantly a perceivable excitement onscreen that perhaps is the common thread we share with our elders. I’ve done my fair share of research on television, and without a doubt Carl must have been a genius to suggest it as a tool for communication of projects and scientific beliefs that might not have come to light had he chosen some less accessible medium. Much like Mr. Rogers in his own era of early 60s children’s television pioneering, Dr. Sagan managed to finally let loose the wonder of science, like a wave, and it swept up the world and took it by storm. But where is the authenticity of information that comes with best confidence in the pages of a book? Well, he did write a book about COSMOS before the show was produced; and from experience we might waive off the TV series as less credible than the actual story he told. But in one of TV’s few twists, the onscreen adaptation was able to beautifully bring to life the advanced visualization and personification to the information- a man behind the science. And that man, in any age and for any generation, is Carl Sagan. The world is changing, of course. I’ve mentioned the need to specialize before- and we’re not wrong in wanting to do so. But if specialization is the real frontier of discovery, or if science is going to move in a path towards even more discovery, then understanding the virtue of communication is the boot that marches us to the summit of our capacity. It is so important that we, writers or not, are able to understand the value of generalization and look at the big picture every once in a while. Because it’s easy to lose sight of the progression of our world when trying to progress our own projects and ideas, we might just want to look to shows like COSMOS to really give us perspective and take us out of our own worlds for just a few fleeting seconds. What individual experience will you get out of it? See for yourself- you don’t have to be a scientist to stare at our world in the same awe.
