Billions & Billions of Neighbors

Most everyone knows that I absolutely love Carl Sagan. A brilliant human being, I celebrate him as one of those people that give you hope in humanity regardless of the rest of the world. Of course, he has been dead for quite a while. His ever so well spoken words live on today, shining as bright as the stars in the sky. Science has come a long way since his book (and subsequent TV series) Cosmos, but even now the information and philosophical commentary are pertinent to today's pale blue dot inhabitants.

I discovered Carl Sagan late in life, having only one encounter with something resulting from his writing: the movie Contact. To me, Contact was a thrilling, compelling movie. True, today I still love this movie, but I am a bit more capable of giving it an accurate rating. At the time, I didn't know who Carl Sagan was. I had no idea that later in my life, his words would be as powerful as Richard Dawkin's in swaying my beliefs from theism to science. In a way, I feel like Cosmos was the Mister Rogers Neighborhood I never had after Mister Rogers had become less interesting due to age.

I don't remember if I ever learned anything from good ol' Fred Rogers. I didn't have to learn anything from him to adore the TV show he hosted, he was a distant friend that would talk kindly, show videos of things being made, and let me join him in visiting his puppet friends. Now that I think about it, it was a nutty show, although not nearly as nutty as Lamb Chop. It stimulated an area of my brain that remains active to this day. Whatever part of the brain that produces that amazing brain chemical called "wonder." That and an ever present reminder to feed the fish. I don't have fish.

Even with dated information, I feel that Cosmos will be the upgrade for my kids. Carl Sagan may not have had a train set, or a strict routine for when he enters his quaint home after returning from what had to be a sweater convention. He may not even have a strange puppet land full of moral stories. What Carl Sagan did bring to TV was that same sense of wonder, just a little more matured. And he definitely rocked a sweater more than once. Most importantly, he has the ability to make you believe in the amazing intricacies of the scientific world in which we all live. He had that ability to describe intense scientific theory in a way that was not only powerful mental stimulation, but very easy to swallow.

Yeah, from Sesame Street to Mr. Roger's to Cosmos. My kids are going to rule.

Language

We have already decided that we really want our child to be bilingual, and yes, I am expecting "bi" jokes. I know a lot of Americans love to think that English is the top language and that there is some invisible war against foreign languages somehow invading our free country. The truth is that we have no official language. I know, the greater portion of our population uses English, but that does not make it the official language. A universal language, sure. So why raise a child to be bilingual? Easy, there is no reason not to. No valid reason anyway.

The Good:

• Better access to other cultures.
• Higher understanding of language
• Future job opportunities involving fluent speaking of two or more languages.
• Easier learning of additional languages.

I keep finding more good, therefore I'm just going to leave this one as one big etcetera.

So what about the bad? Not much at all to be honest. One could say that they would have a problem with their kid knowing a language they didn't. In that case, why not learn a language as well? My parents are in their fifties and picking up Spanish just fine, though it's true that children learn new languages faster. If you didn't know that, chances are you're less concerned about your kid's education and more concerned with his/her performance in sports. I digress. What better reason to pick up another language? The more I read on the subject, the more I see that the only 'bad reasons' are due to xenophobia, hate, and good old all American racism. It must be deathly uncomfortable atop that high horse.

There is a kind Indian man that comes into Walmart every now and then. I typically say hello and ask how he is doing, general small talk. If we both have the time, we will spark a conversation about any number of topics. Sometimes it's economy, public transportation in India compared to America, or differences in culture and how different world problems are handled. In one of our conversations we talked about how both countries handle language. He laughed about various people he heard complaining about learning Spanish and voicing their concern that it was going to somehow hurt America. He then told me, to my astonishment, that there are eighteen (18!) official languages in India. I would say holy cow here, but that would imply stereotypical disrespect. So instead I'll imply that I would have typed 'holy cow' there.

It's true, English is their second official language. He knows five different languages, including English. He did not appear to be confused. He did not seem to feel that his culture or way of life was somehow intruded upon by knowing more than one language. He even had plenty of experience with foreigners coming into India and speaking uncommon languages and didn't express any concern over them destroying the established way of life. So what's the deal? Why do we have such low support for bilingual learning in our education system? This is the melting pot after all, regardless of what anyone thinks.

So then, another 'plan' is set and another hope is established for our yet to be born. Perhaps our child will have the benefit of speaking more than one language in this vast world. Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and many more possibilities. In my humble opinion, America has lost the art of language. It's time to right that wrong.