While the Children Play

I have arrived at chapter 15 of "Waves in an Impossible Sea". The title of this chapter is "Elementary Fields, a second humble look". I was already lost by chapter 13. Just now, I'm getting accustomed to being lost, and maybe being lost is the point. 

As it happens, even the one writing the book admits to being lost. If you don't admit to being lost, you are stuck in an imaginary world in which you know where you are and what you are doing. That is quite normal.  I mean, it's normal to be lost and not know it. Also normal is recruiting others to inhabit your fantasy with you. Ignorance craves certainty and certainty loves company. Together we must be right, since we can't all be wrong. 

As it happens, being wrong is the normal human condition. Whatever world we think we live in, it is not the real world but rather a model based on sensation, perception, received information and rational organization of accumulated thoughts. At every stage, the model is faulty and incomplete. 

Understand? "Understand" is such a friendly, reassuring word. I think it describes a mental state in which new information fits rather nicely with what we already know so the mental work appears to be done. But what if our perceptions have been subverted by biases? What if we aren't thinking logically? What if we are unaware of pertinent facts? What if our metaphors suggest parallels where none exist? Perhaps what we already know is wrong?

An elder in some tribe in antiquity told a story around the campfire that people were God's favourite creation. There was a warning in the story that being smart was dangerous. The story has been retold forever. We especially like the part about being God's favourites. It means the world is our garden and we get to use whatever we find there. We tend to ignore the warning about being so smart that we mess up the garden and the fun will be over.

Reality itself is complete and coherent. In the theology of Moses, IT IS what IT IS. Our thoughts are more or less useful guides as we grope our way through reality without being sure what it is. If we are humble, we will take a second look. If we are wise, we will respect the miracle that has spawned us, restrain our appetites, and work to make this garden last a bit longer...

while the children play.

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Cat Stevens' song has been suggested as the sound track for this note: Where do the Children Play

Cosmic Evolution: Craig R. van der Maas