h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>> ..has never been able to see, or rejoice in, its victories..<<

Two factors are predominntly responsible for our apparent modesty:

Primarily our British sense of good sportsmanship and fair play; nobody likes a gloating winner, especially losers.

Secondly the weather and the scope of the landscape. It's hard to feel big or important for long in a land that dwarfs the human scale and reminds us of our puniness.

You may recall how often astronauts have remarked on a feeling of personal insignificance when looking back at the earth from space. That same feeling can be achieved almost anywhere in Canada just by stepping out of doors and scanning the horizon.

The cold has a way of shrinking things too. Except nipples; curiously they tend to swell when chilled ...(not stirred).


~jwf~