Thursday, April 03, 2008

Touching the Sky

Dear MensaGrrl,

Can anyone touch the sky?

Signed,

Pondering the Possibilities

...

Dear Pondering,

Someone once answered this question by saying, "No, because it doesn't exist. There is no such thing as 'sky', and the blue sky is actually many layers of the atmosphere scattering blue light. Trying to touch the sky is like touching a mirage."

While this answer contains valid points, such as the sky's not actually being blue in color, the fundamental definition of "sky" is critical--and this answer is fundamentally incorrect.

If we are to assume, as is stated in the American Heritage Dictionary as the primary definition, that sky is "the expanse of air over any given point on the earth," then it follows logically that we are "touching" the "sky" all the time.

Signed,

MensaGrrl

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