Reply to comment

Hi everyone: just came across this debate. To end this disagreement right away, perception is one of the paramount aspects in life; a very large portion of your personality can be derived from this alone. It sounds like I'm on a different spectrum--english, philosophy; you guys, the science side--so I won't be using any science terms. By bringing perception into the conversation and discussing it in terms of science is a mistake from the get go. Perception is unique to each individual.We are each born with something, but throughout the years, our adult version solidifies with time. There are many ways to do this, but I'm trying to think of the quickest.

The nexus of perception lies with (in a basic sense) how open minded are you? Do you look at your front door and see deadbolted security? or do you see it as only a passageway with a door in front (installed by a man/woman, just as easily taken apart)? Transient, I would say. Those of you intrigued with this article probably wonder what it would be like to lay on your back in the cool summer grass, and even have a ten second glimpse through a small chasm in the wallpapered sky, and what an experience it would be! Now the other side on the discussion is providing theory, statistics, impossibilities, etc. This is actually a textbook example of the differenes between those with more open-minded pereption vs. the more close-minded. Both have strengths and weaknesses.

If you haven't read or studied William Blake, begin there. A couple quotes from him. (I'll just list three: 1757-1827)

1) "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern."
2) "To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
3) "What is now proved was once only imagined."

So that's it...I'll go on to say that Blake was and is even more so today the most highly thought of intellectual from 1750-Present. Last thing I'll write is the dividing point. This is also why there is bantering back and forth in the train of responses. My Dad is a pHD ChemE. You ask him to do some byzantine calculation, maybe proofs, research, whatever...and he'll ace it all! Afterward you ask him to do anything at all not by the book, not with calculator, something not generalized, hopefully with imagination/creativity. Forget about it. Then on my side, its the opposite spectrum: I may churn out 3 poems in an hour and start working on a story, but I had already lost a tennis shoe before I started, and now that hour has past, I'm completely shoeless and I jogging aroung looking for one of my socks.

Thats the difference in perception. I call the extremes Cynical vs Dreamer. That should put a lot in perspective. I guess two more was to qualify Blake is that the band The Doors took their name from Quote #1, and if you've seen the movie Red Dragon, Blake painted that. Peace.