All the pictures and evidence points to our earth as being round, or more properly put, a sphere. Yet, I am confused about one fact, if this is true, how come from our perspective; people in Australia aren't upside-down? Not only that, the way I see it just looking at my globe, people in Columbia have to be sideways! I don't care how many times I think about it I can never put my hands around these conflicting facts. I mean they have to be upside-down or sideways! It has to be, I've got the entire globe in my hand. But they're not.
It all has to do with gravity. Yes, I knew that but that only explains why those folks in Australia and Columbia aren't spinning out into space. How is it that every human being on earth, is right side up? It just doesn't seem possible!
This has to do with our concept of "up" and "down" more than anything else. To most people, up and down is something that is sacrosanct, but so then is "right" and "left" but explaining the paradox of right and left is much easier. If you are standing behind, me and I say "point to your right", we will be in agreement 100% of the time. But if you stand in front of me, facing me, and I say "point to your right" and you also request me to "point to myright" we will be in 100% disagreement in regards to "my right" being diametrically different from "your right" but in every case we would both be right!
So let's get back to "up" and "down". What keeps our feet firmly planted down on earth is gravity. Gravity pulls us down or more importantly toward the center of the earth and it is a constant force. Therefore, our concept of up and down is a local perspective based on gravitational pull. Our perception of up and down is always seen and taken from our perspective which can fool us. It is this perspective that allows us to know that we are upright and to assume that other people in other areas of the planet are upside-down. Yet, from their perspective they will feel the same about us! That is to say, in other words, that our mates in Australia, far from believing that they are upside-down, believe that we in America are in fact, upside-down. Neither is correct
The force of gravity always pulls everything on earth towards the center of earth. Because we experience this as a "downward" force, from this we get our perception of up and down. This same downward force applies equally to everyone and everything on earth. Gravity gives each one of us our perception of up and down and it is just our perception, because if we over-think it, we will be back at the beginning in which we wonder how is it that Australians aren't upside-down, and why their buildings aren't upside-down; especially considering if I was to take the God-view from outer space I would clearly see that they were indeed, from my perspective, upside-down!
Yet, they and their buildings are standing upright!
Gravity and perspective.