Letters for George: Seventy-Eight, the Motor Number of the Cosmos

Dear George,

I’ve been 78 for over ten hours now. So far, it’s been pleasant, though I’ve been asleep most of the time. Two or three months ago I didn’t think this was going to be a significant birthday at all (e.g., in a league with 12 or 21 or 40), but now I think it should be added to the list. That’s because if you take all the childhood years from one to twelve and add them together (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12), the total comes to 78. That more or less implies that age 78 is equal in significance to all the years of childhood combined. What a momentus year! Beyond that amazing fact, a prominent Internet numerologist explains that 78 is “the motor number of the whole Cosmos, before and after the manifestation.” (36) [Note: numbers in parentheses refer to sources at end.] I need to stay alert and appreciate each day for the next twelve months.

I started mulling over my new age when I went to my recent high school reunion. Nearly all of my high school classmates are now 78. I’d never been in a room filled with 78-year-olds before. I’d have to say there were a lot of positive vibes. As far as I can tell, 78-year-olds are into becoming great-grandparents, enjoy a cocktail or two, like to play a round of golf, don’t hear as well as they used to, are happy to be retired, and are no longer obsessed with getting ahead in the world. If anything, my classmates seemed more mellow and harmonious at age 78 than at any of our earlier reunions.

To help myself get organized, I’ve done some research on the various meanings of the number 78. I’ve been quite surprised about how personally relevant my new age is. Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Munoz, regarded as one of the greatest players in NFL history, wore Jersey #78 throughout his career in Cincinnati (30). I got my teenage introduction to Patti Page, Peggy Lee, and the McGuire Sisters on 78 r.p.m. records. Kate Winslet, one of my favorites, has been listed as the 78th best movie actress in history (15). Like me, newsmaker Bill Cosby turned 78 this year (13). Ambien sleeping pills, without which I’d never survive, are imprinted with the symbol E-78 (7). And that’s just the beginning. Here are more astonishing facts about 78 that I never knew:

The year 78 in our Gregorian calendar is 622 in the Buddhist calendar and 3838-3839 in the Hebrew calendar. (28)
In the year 78 the Romans conquered the Ordovices, located at the site of present-day Wales. (28)
78 is the atomic number of platinum, one of the rarest and most precious of metals. (32)
Psalm 78 in the King James Bible begins: Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth; I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old… (4)
According to SpiritCommunity.com, the meaning of 78 in the Bible is sexual abuse. (25)
A standard tarot card deck is made up of 78 cards: 21 trump cards, the Fool, and 56 suit cards. (29)
Henry Sy of China, age 90, is the 78th richest person in the world (net worth $14 billion). (ther)
Women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. (18)
The U.S., with 73 female Representatives and 17 female Senators, ranks 78th in the world with respect to women being represented in government. (21)
78% of domestic violence victims are represented by public defenders. (10)
The average high temperature in Menominee, Michigan, in June is 78 degrees. (1)
The former Ann Arbor Carferry ran 78 nautical miles from Frankfort, MI, to Menominee. (17)
There are 78 miles of Off-Road Vehicle trails in Menominee County and the western part of Delta County. (16)
Nigeria ranks No. 78 in the 2015 World Happiness Report. (19)
NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr. drives the No. 78 Chevrolet SS. (29)
Chandler, Arizona, (pop. 254,276) is the 78th largest city in the U.S. (31)
Krispy Kreme Donuts celebrated their 78th anniversary on July 10, 2015. (27)
Pro surfer Garrett McNamara set the world record in 2011 in Portugal for the largest wave ever surfed: 78 feet high. (35)
The 78th most popular names for girls and boys in the U.S. are Eleanor and Chase. (20)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) has been identified as the 78th best novel of all times. (26)
The perimeter of a standard basketball court is 78 meters. (34)
The Terminator (1984) is the 78th best movie in history. (23)
78% of Twitter users live outside the U.S. (2)
Gary Ross Dahl, creator of the Pet Rock, died at age 78 on Mar. 23, 2015, in southern Oregon. (9)
78% of seventeen-year-old American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” (6)
Cincinnati's area is 78 square miles. (5)
The Little Miami Scenic Trail runs 78 miles northeast from Cincinnati's outskirts to Springfield, OH. (22)
There are 78 audiologists in the Cincinnati Metro area. (12)
During the Great Blizzard of ’78 the U.S. Coast Guard flew 30 tons of food into Cincinnati for poor people. (11)
According to the NCDC, the world record 24-hour snowfall of 78 inches occurred on Feb. 7, 1963, at Copper River County in Alaska. (33)
78 years ago Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific. (14)
Past and current LSU football coaches Lou Saban and Les Miles have the same winning percentage: 78%. (24)
Jim Carrey is the 78th best movie actor of all time. (8)
The 78th best opening line from a novel is: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” (L.P. Hartley, The Go-Between, 1953) (3)

All of these phenomena are inter-connected since they are all pieces of the motor number of the Cosmos. Just how they fit together is something I intend to figure out during the coming year. To tell the truth, I never gave much thought to being 78 when I was 20 or 30. Sixty was about as far ahead as I could imagine. But now that I’ve arrived, it’s time to make the most of it. All my 1955 high school classmates would agree with me that we’re a lot younger than, say, members of the Class of 1940.

Love,

Dave

SOURCES:

(1) www.accuweather.com, "Menominee, MI";

(2) www.adweek.com, “78% of Twitter Users are International”;

(3) www.americanbookreview.org, “100 best first lines from novels”;

(4) www.biblegateway.com, “Psalm 78”;

(5) www.coursehero.com, "Cincinnati Facts";

(6): www.depts.washington.edu, “Media’s effect on body image”;

(7) www.drugs.com, “Imprints: E 78”;

(8) www.filmschoolwtf.com, “Top 100 Best Hollywood Actors Of All Time”;

(9) www.foxnews.com, “Pet Rock creator dead at 78”;