[TWBI] Solid Ground
Title: Solid Ground
Series: That Would Be Illogical
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Rating: PG
Length: 897
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Summary: This is not the first illogical action I have ever participated in because of James Tiberius Kirk. I doubt it will be the last. Masterlist
Previous: The Drink
After a long and uncomfortable or stressful journey on some sort of transportation, it appears that it is a Terran custom to ‘kiss the ground’ when they have reached their destination. Even if the transportation unit was on the ground the entire duration of the trip, such as in a vehicle or a train, it is still customary to do this.
Most merely give praise by exclaiming such things as “Solid ground!” and a few will actually get down upon their hands and knees to literally place their lips onto the ground. It is quite an unsanitary act. I have seen the Captain and Dr. McCoy do the latter on several occasions, usually after rides on shuttles that had experienced an unusual amount of turbulence.
Kissing is often used to show affection for another being. Men will kiss the top of the hands of women. Some people will kiss the cheeks of friends they have not seen for a long period of time. Parents kiss the foreheads of their children. Couples kiss directly (Jim shows his fondness for me often and usually on more than just the lips). But Mr. Scott often kisses bottles of scotch and Dr. McCoy will kiss bottles of whiskey. I have seen landing party members kiss their communicators when Nyota’s voice finally comes through after five hours of being stranded on a planet in an ion storm. I suppose kisses can be used to show affection for an inanimate as well. A kiss to the ground must mean to show that affection.
To my knowledge of Earth history, there never was a religion centralized on ground worship. Or if there had, it had been in the human’s prehistory before written language. I have heard the phrase to ‘worship the ground he walks on’, but I believe it is merely a proverb indicating high admiration to someone for their intelligence, insight or physical beauty. However, even if there does not seem to be a unified or established religion, this is still a very wide-spread phenomenon.
I once questioned Dr. McCoy because he is the one who does it most often. His response was to say that “If men were meant to fly they’d’ve wings stickin’ out their backs.” To which, Jim suggested a large helicopter propeller protruding from the top of one’s head.
McCoy retorted by saying it would cause a large amount of neck pain and instead recommended a dorsal propeller.
Jim alleged it would never let anyone lie facing up or sit in a chair.
McCoy said if it was on the head, no one would be able to get through doors.
Jim claimed it was the same with it being on the back but McCoy started describing propellers that could collapse or fold together to make them less cumbersome.
Jim concurred.
I decided to never again pose a serious question to either the Captain or the Doctor while they were under the influence of alcohol as such efforts usually proved fruitless.
I chose to question Nyota instead. While she had never literally kissed the ground, she has said her praises. She asserted that humans feel safer on ‘solid ground’. After I claimed that any surface one stands on is quite solid, she specified to ground that is not moving, like the surface of a planet. After I mentioned that all planets are both rotating around an axis and revolving around a celestial body, she agreed but said that the movement is unnoticeable to humans, so it is the appearance of not moving that they find reassuring. After I pointed out that that was the purpose of the inertial dampers, she appeared to become annoyed so I took my leave.
While I still did not understand, I did gain the new insight that many humans find comfort in the appearance of being in a resting state. It explains why humans will praise the ground even if their vehicle never left it. I admit that I can relate to this. Perhaps it is my human half. Meditation is usually easier when I and my surroundings are still and unmoving. I had never, however, experienced as profound an appreciation of being in such a resting state as humans seem to.
Until I was in a car that had been driven by Jim.
After a fight with two Romulan Warbirds, we docked in San Francisco to undergo repairs to our warp engines. It would take roughly four days to restore the ship to its optimal state. Jim and I decided to spend that time in Seattle, the birthplace of ‘Starbucks’ which I was told was not an obscure space currency but a coffee shop. The clerk at the car rental facility had said it would take approximately 12.5 hours to arrive at our destination.
We arrived there in 6.7 hours with 219 traffic violations not including the excessive speeding.
If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have been shaking when I got out of the car. If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have vomited in the grass. If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have cried and thanked a deity that I was still alive.
If I had not been half human, I probably would not have fallen to all fours on the concrete, grateful for the feeling of steady, ‘solid ground’ beneath me.
Next: Swimming
Series: That Would Be Illogical
Fandom: Star Trek XI
Rating: PG
Length: 897
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Summary: This is not the first illogical action I have ever participated in because of James Tiberius Kirk. I doubt it will be the last. Masterlist
Previous: The Drink
After a long and uncomfortable or stressful journey on some sort of transportation, it appears that it is a Terran custom to ‘kiss the ground’ when they have reached their destination. Even if the transportation unit was on the ground the entire duration of the trip, such as in a vehicle or a train, it is still customary to do this.
Most merely give praise by exclaiming such things as “Solid ground!” and a few will actually get down upon their hands and knees to literally place their lips onto the ground. It is quite an unsanitary act. I have seen the Captain and Dr. McCoy do the latter on several occasions, usually after rides on shuttles that had experienced an unusual amount of turbulence.
Kissing is often used to show affection for another being. Men will kiss the top of the hands of women. Some people will kiss the cheeks of friends they have not seen for a long period of time. Parents kiss the foreheads of their children. Couples kiss directly (Jim shows his fondness for me often and usually on more than just the lips). But Mr. Scott often kisses bottles of scotch and Dr. McCoy will kiss bottles of whiskey. I have seen landing party members kiss their communicators when Nyota’s voice finally comes through after five hours of being stranded on a planet in an ion storm. I suppose kisses can be used to show affection for an inanimate as well. A kiss to the ground must mean to show that affection.
To my knowledge of Earth history, there never was a religion centralized on ground worship. Or if there had, it had been in the human’s prehistory before written language. I have heard the phrase to ‘worship the ground he walks on’, but I believe it is merely a proverb indicating high admiration to someone for their intelligence, insight or physical beauty. However, even if there does not seem to be a unified or established religion, this is still a very wide-spread phenomenon.
I once questioned Dr. McCoy because he is the one who does it most often. His response was to say that “If men were meant to fly they’d’ve wings stickin’ out their backs.” To which, Jim suggested a large helicopter propeller protruding from the top of one’s head.
McCoy retorted by saying it would cause a large amount of neck pain and instead recommended a dorsal propeller.
Jim alleged it would never let anyone lie facing up or sit in a chair.
McCoy said if it was on the head, no one would be able to get through doors.
Jim claimed it was the same with it being on the back but McCoy started describing propellers that could collapse or fold together to make them less cumbersome.
Jim concurred.
I decided to never again pose a serious question to either the Captain or the Doctor while they were under the influence of alcohol as such efforts usually proved fruitless.
I chose to question Nyota instead. While she had never literally kissed the ground, she has said her praises. She asserted that humans feel safer on ‘solid ground’. After I claimed that any surface one stands on is quite solid, she specified to ground that is not moving, like the surface of a planet. After I mentioned that all planets are both rotating around an axis and revolving around a celestial body, she agreed but said that the movement is unnoticeable to humans, so it is the appearance of not moving that they find reassuring. After I pointed out that that was the purpose of the inertial dampers, she appeared to become annoyed so I took my leave.
While I still did not understand, I did gain the new insight that many humans find comfort in the appearance of being in a resting state. It explains why humans will praise the ground even if their vehicle never left it. I admit that I can relate to this. Perhaps it is my human half. Meditation is usually easier when I and my surroundings are still and unmoving. I had never, however, experienced as profound an appreciation of being in such a resting state as humans seem to.
Until I was in a car that had been driven by Jim.
After a fight with two Romulan Warbirds, we docked in San Francisco to undergo repairs to our warp engines. It would take roughly four days to restore the ship to its optimal state. Jim and I decided to spend that time in Seattle, the birthplace of ‘Starbucks’ which I was told was not an obscure space currency but a coffee shop. The clerk at the car rental facility had said it would take approximately 12.5 hours to arrive at our destination.
We arrived there in 6.7 hours with 219 traffic violations not including the excessive speeding.
If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have been shaking when I got out of the car. If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have vomited in the grass. If I had not been a Vulcan, I probably would have cried and thanked a deity that I was still alive.
If I had not been half human, I probably would not have fallen to all fours on the concrete, grateful for the feeling of steady, ‘solid ground’ beneath me.
Next: Swimming