One of the more remarkable images transferred back to Earth recently by the Hubble Space Telescope pictured the awesome collision of two enormous galaxies. As one newspaper account noted: "Images of two huge galaxies colliding in a caldron of violence spawning thousands of stars, some say, offer a preview of what might be in store for the Earth's own Milky Way." "Hubble images suggest fate of Milky Way." The Boston Globe. October 27, 1997, pp. A3 and A17. ...
Learning that a neighboring galaxy, the Andromeda, is even now bearing down on us at 300,000 miles an hour, we might be tempted to feel a bit uneasy. That is, if we weren't also informed that the estimated time of arrival—and collision—is about five billion years away.
So, while all of this is certainly an intriguing astronomical phenomenon, the possibility of our own galaxy violently colliding with another isn't something that has much immediate impact on our experience. Other collisions do. Both in our personal affairs and on the larger stage of societal interactions and even international relations, there are numerous significant collisions affecting human lives every day. There are treaties broken and trade agreements violated. There are gang fights and suicide bombings. There are ethnic strife and border conflicts. And closer to our own homes, there may be broken promises and heartbreaking personal animosities.
