Eye
of the Beholder
“Because
there are no absolute qualities in the natural world, it is false to
say that there even is an independent world 'out there.' The world is
a reflection of the sensory apparatus that registers it. The human
nervous system takes in only the most minute fraction, less than one
part per billion, of the total energy vibrating in the environment.
Other nervous systems, such as that of a bat or a snake, reflect a
different world, coexisting with ours. The bat senses a world of
ultrasound, the snake a world of infrared light, both of which are
hidden from us.”
Deepak
Chopra, M.D. (Ageless Body, Timeless Mind)
Dr.
Chopra goes on to say, all that is really 'out there' is raw material
waiting to be interpreted by you, through your perceptions. I have
always been fascinated with how the world can seem so solid and
obvious, and yet so insubstantial that ten people can witness the
same event, or hear the same speech, and produce ten different
interpretations of its meaning. I spent a good part of my youth
arguing with people about 'truth' as though that were one thing. At
twenty, I knew what 'truth' was, and everyone else was simply
deluded. Now, I know that I know absolutely nothing. It's freeing, really.
On
the face of it, we know only a tiny bit about objective reality if it
exists at all. Instead of feeling mystified about that, we might
consider it one of the most intelligent and fascinating things about
the created order. We are complex beings living in an endlessly
complex world. A world that is always changing.
I
am quite intrigued by the adaptability of living organisms. We change
when necessary and cling to life in the most stressful of
circumstances. Like the pod of Orca whales that was trapped in the
ice for a couple of weeks this month. By human reckoning, they had
misjudged the weather because global warming had kept the water
temperature warmer than usual, and they had failed to swim south in
time. Now they were doomed, because winter was upon them and the ice
would freeze over so they couldn't surface. But the Orcas managed to
find a small opening in the ice and took turns surfacing to breathe
until a weather event broke a path through to the open ocean and
then, in a wink, they were gone. Whales know their environment pretty
well, and they are smart and organized and know how to work
together—we could take a few clues from them, I suspect.
Everyday
is 'awesome' if you are open to wonder. Our senses are finely tuned
to take in a swath of creation and then share our individual shades
of meaning with one another. Life is a mystery worth exploring and
that's the truth, mister!
In
the spirit,
Jane
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