Splitting the atom and the power it's given us

While reading Fallout by Ottaviani, Johnston, Lieber, Locke, Mireault and Parker I got to thinking about a few things. One question I asked myself is "Exactly how much do we take things like nuclear energy and the process of getting that energy for granted?"

You've got to think about just how big
a deal this really is and was. When the
Manhattan Project got under way
splitting the atom and getting that covetted
chain reaction seemed an imposibility.
Everything ran on diesel and gasoline and
one bomb was never enough.

Then along came a few brilliant scientists

who wanted to do their part to help humanity along
as well as help a nation that stood against the likes
of Hitler.














After much hard work these men created something that was simultaneously an amazing source of energy and one of the most destructive things the Earth had ever seen.




Because of the works started in the 1930's we now have submarines that are powered by nuclear reactors, power plants that don't burn an ounce of coal and explosive devices that have the potential to ignite the very atmosphere of this planet.



When you stop to think about it, it's really quite impressive what has blossomed out of the Manhattan Project. When you get right down to it, all the government really wanted out of it was a new weapon that they might throw against their enemies. What they got was an unpredictable future where everyone has the same big gun pointed at everyone else just waiting for the right moment...

Distractions

During the class discussion of Safe Area Gorazde, some people seemed almost offended by the "Silly Girls," and their obsession with the Levi's 501s, comparing it to people who choose to pay attention to the trivial aspects of life today instead of caring about the failing economy and current war.

Newsflash: We (the people who like the trivial pursuits) are perfectly aware of the current situation. There really isn't any way to completely ignore it.

However, there really isn't a point in brooding about the unpleasant aspects of the world when there is life to be lived. Cowering in a corner, rocking back and forth like lost children does no one any good. To be able to ignore what is going on in the world, if only for a moment, is the only way to not have a nervous breakdown every time I leave the house.

In a way, I respect those girls. To still find a way to hold on to normalcy, even in the face of the horrors around them, shows a sort of level-headed attitude that should be admired, not looked down on.