Day 20 - The One in the Middle

Whoa, we’re half way there

Whoa! Living on a prayer

Dear listener, we are on day 20 of the 40 days of Lent. I’m not counting the Sundays, of course. On one level, we’re rocketing towards our deaths. On another, we’re experience the gradual passage of time, one minute per minute, just as we do constantly.

There’s something satisfying about finding the half-way points. Describing Sheffield to people from abroad, I often claim to live half way from London to Scotland, and also half way from the east coast to the west one.

As a non-binary, I find a home in the middle-point, like the grand old duke of gender. A good vantage point, though tactically you may be throwing away the higher ground, or half of it, at least.

Chronological midpoints are particularly pleasing.

The 21st Century BC, with Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah, was half way from Adam to Jesus

In the 1st Century, Jesus was half way from Abraham and Isaac and Rebekah to today!

In the fifth Century, the fall of Rome happened about half way between Jesus and the Vikings. (This datapoint is out of sync with the others)

The 11th Century: King Harold and the Battle of Hastings were a little less than half way between Jesus and today.

The 16th Century, 1534, when Henry the 8th founded the Church of England, primarily so he could cut off the Catholics and get a lawful divorce, was half way between the Battle of Hastings and today, and 3/4 of the way from Jesus to today

1778 and the end of the 18th Century is half way between the founding of the Church of England and today. It’s the Industrial Revolution!

1900 is half way between the start of the Industrial Revolution and today. The invention of the zeppelin, the radio receiver and the modern escalator all happened that year

1962 and the Beatles are half way between the invention of the radio receiver and the modern day.

1992 was the queen’s Annus Horribilis, and is half way between the early Beatles and today. Thousands of miners lost their jobs, and Ringo Starr had a new record out.

2008, the age of David Tennant and Catherine Tate was half way between the Queen’s Annus Horribilis and today.

And half way from then to now is 2016 and the death of Harambe and the start of Brexit

And half way from then to now is late 2019 and the emergence of a novel coronavirus

And half way from then to now is the delayed release of Daniel Craig’s final Bond film

And half way from then to now is a new war in Ukraine

And half way from then to now is last September, and I don’t mean to keep adding additional half portions or we’ll (1) run into Zeno’s paradox whereby I can never reach the present and (2) become inaccurate and outdated to anyone who doesn’t listen on the day of release.

Dear listener, we’re always half way somewhere. If you wait until you arrive wherever and whatever and whenever you’re planning, you’ll never get started. Make a start while you’re half-way, and you’ve a far better chance of doing something than nothing. Whoa, we’re half-way there, and well begun is half done.