THE MENTAL GREAT DIVIDE

The great divide is a function of nature.

It’s also called the continental divide.

From a geological stand point it where water in the form of rain or snow flows toward either the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific.

To help illustrate how this works hold your hand flat, then give it a quarter turn and pour water on it.

The water goes off one way or the other with a small amount staying on top.

That’s one way to look at it. Any other divisions are man made.

Where the mountains guide the water one way or the other according to the laws of nature, man made divisions are more arbitrary in nature.

Take the Colorado River for example.

For the first millions of years it flowed along a familiar path, changing with the seasons, changing as the earth rearranges itself, but predictable.

When man got involved the dams and canals came to redirect the Colorado for greater benefit to all of us, especially if you live in Los Angeles or farm the desert.

From PBS:

 

Forty million people depend on the Colorado River for water, and it irrigates four million acres of some of the most productive agricultural land in the United States.

As of June 2024, the river’s storage system is at about 41% capacity.

Scientists say climate change and the expanding use of water along the river will continue to overtax supplies going forward.

 

In my neck of the woods we believe in science, in hot and cold, dry and wet, and sometimes conduct experiments like pouring water on our hands for scientific confirmation.

Science is a comfort because you don’t have to question everything all the time with settled science.

Of course I don’t know everything and I also admit I could be wrong.

The earth could be flat, gravity might be an illusion, but that’s not the way I lean.

As a man of learning I encourage one and all to find their own truths as long as they do no harm to others.

Do pour water on your hand to understand the great divide.

Do not water board a geologist to make them change their mind.

Briefly put your hand in a flame to learn about temperature.

Do not set a forest on fire to check the heat.

 

The Great Un-Divide

How many times do you hear someone talking and you want to agree with them, but something is off.

Maybe it’s a friend who has done their own research and conclude they’ve been lied to until their big revelation.

For them the earth is flat, gravity is a hoax, and to think they seemed so normal at first.

You want to believe with them, but first you need help.

Shock treatment, lobotomy, whatever it takes.

Or you can stand your ground, explain how science works, maybe do a few experiments for better understanding.

Don’t get all huffy or superior sounding, just lay it out in a reasonable voice.

No name calling, no accusations or anything of that nature, just a calm presentation of normality.

For example, firemen put out fire with water from fire hydrants and pumper trucks.

From Live Science:

 

Fire requires three things to keep it going: fuel, oxygen and a heat source.

Rather than fight the fire directly, the water acts on the fuel.

Water actually makes it harder for the fuel — whether it’s wood, brush or a building — to keep burning.

 

That’s as straightforward an explanation as there is.

Before science the ancients made up a group of gods to explain things.

First the Greeks.

Then the Romans.

I’m not a teacher but I do agree some truths to be self-evident.

Self. Evident.

 

Why The Confusion?

America is a big confusing place, like most big places.

But unlike Europe we have a common language, common money, and common sense.

Sounds like a walk in the park to get along.

No Frenchie hell bent on ruling all of Europe.

 No Austrian working the same goals with an evil twist.

And we have a common owners’ manual.

So what’s the problem? Let’s take a look.

 

This is Topographical America with big mountains on the left, flat in the middle, and a smaller range on the right.

 

 

This is Population America with a load of people on the right, few in the middle, and a lighter load on the left.

 

 

This is River America showing the continental divide.

That’s the Columbia River top left draining in the Pacific, the Missouri River to the right connecting with the Mississippi on the right and flowing to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.

 

Population density and access to waterways are linked from oceans to the Great Lakes.

People like water, the transportation potential, and the flat lands.

It’s hard for people raised in dense population centers to understand what it’s like to live beyond the crowd.

At the same time it’s hard for people who aren’t crowded to imagine living shoulder to shoulder in a big city.

If you’re a sports fan watching the NBA conference finals you’ve seen games in the Madison Square Garden located in the middle of Manhattan.

After the game the fans don’t go to the parking lot, get into their car, and drive home like normal people.

Instead it’s a taxi, a car service, or a walk down to basement of the same building to Penn Station and catch a train or subway home.

Those guys know the system, the transfers, the schedules. It’s more than opening a car door and starting the engine.

Maybe the great divide is a cultural shift that needs more study.

We’ve all seen people who look like they enjoy wiping their feet on others.

To them it’s normal.

As a character in a movie they would be villains, not heroes.

When they are portrayed at heroes the confusion deepens for those who don’t know the difference between the two.

Read more to know more.