Of all of Man's tools, I think the gun exemplifies humanity the best. The best of Man's faculties are represented equally and exquisitely in this, the most influential of his many gadgets.
One, craftsmanship, from the beginning state of the art engineering goes into each one of these delightful little treasures. They have to work with the precision of a watch, the reliability of a vehicle. After all a lot is riding on them, as they say there is nothing more useless than an empty gun. But this is not all together true. There is much art that goes into them as well. From the pistol in the picture to the M-16 they all have their own charm and the stamp of the designer. Some more utilitarian like a Volvo, some with a bit more flair, like a Ferrari.
Two, science. Both physics and chemistry are equally represented. Gunpowder, a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate were found to burn so quickly nothing could contain the amount of heat and gas created when it burned. Making it perfect as a propellant or explosive. Also, the gun must be perfectly balanced to ensure that the bullet goes where the shooter intends. To aid in this a rifle was added to the inside of the barrel to allow the bullet to spin as it left the muzzle of the gun. The spinning effect caused the bullet to fly more strait and travel further, much like the spin put on a football.
Lastly, killing. Man's main preoccupation since the beginning of time. Killing is after all what we do best. It is our most efficient means of communication and the one thing we all pull together to achieve. Kindness, compassion, and charity are not Mankind's strong suit. After all when was the last time ten countries got together, spent 100 billion dollars and lost 60 million people doing something nice?
1 comment:
This is grand. I have written about the wonders of canes. We are a pair indeed.
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