Gallileo and Sherlock Holmes

I have just finished reading two biographies of Galileo.  The first, Galileo by James Reston, was excellent and offered historical and scientific insight into the great man. The second book, Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel, focused more on his personal experiences, family, and friends.  The real tragedy of the Galileo story, from a personal rather than scientific standpoint, is that he was accused of suspected heresy.  Galileo was a man who devoutly believed in the Catholic Church.  His two daughters were nuns, although mainly because they were illegitimate and thereby unable to marry.  In particular, his daughter Suor Maria Celeste provided him with spiritual, intellectual, and moral support.  His forced appearance before the Inquisition angered and saddened him.  All along, he believed that he was supporting his faith while creating a new way of approaching science. The Inquisition begged to differ.

Interestingly enough, a friend recently posted a Sherlock Holmes quote on his Facebook page that brought to mind Galileo's struggle:  ‎"What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence; the question is, what can you make people believe that you have done."~Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet)  Hm.  Galileo suffered censure and house arrest for the rest of his life after the Inquisition decided he had erred.  They didn't believe he intended anything other than shaking the foundation of the Church.  Sherlock Holmes, another man with extraordinary intelligence and ego, agrees that how things look is more important than how things are.

But, wait.  Does this mean we should go through life trying to make ourselves look like something we're not?  Should we be pandering to the current mood (or mode) of the day rather than living authentically?  What, exactly, are we supposed to do now?

There is no doubt that we will be misread, misunderstood, and possibly maligned during our brief time here on earth.  We really have very little control over what people think about us, although most of us try to at least live in some sort of accord with others.  If we constantly worry about how we are perceived, we become ineffective and inauthentic...and self-centered.  It isn't easy, just being here.  I believe that the best we can do is to try not to be jerks, try to help out, and be eager to learn.  

We have a duty to try.  Just try...to make life a little better for others, to be grateful, and to accept the lessons that present themselves to us daily.

The Dalai Lama, a favorite of mine for his gentle and practical wisdom, sums it up:

We can't be useful to ourselves unless we're useful to others. Whether we like it or not, we're all connected, and it is unthinkable to be happy all by oneself. Anyone concerned only by his own well-being will suffer eventually. Anyone concerned with the well-being of others takes care of himself without even thinking ...about it. Even if we decide to remain selfish, let us be intelligently selfish - let us help others.


So, there it is.  Be happy by helping others be happy.  It really does make the world a better place, and you won't have to worry about how you look.