I remember one of the usual Coyote and Road-runner routines where the Coyote would run off a cliff above a deep canyon. His legs would still be in motion for awhile even though there was nothing beneath him but air. Then, it would suddenly dawn on him that all was not right, and he would pause in mid-air as he glanced down at the river flowing far below. Then he would drop like a rock and there would be a small puff of dust as he missed even the river. I think that as a society, we are just discovering that all is not right.
W.P.