Oh well, just thinking

It’s true that some things are “by convention” and others are only “relative measures,” and sometimes the words we use feel like they amount to nothing. But everything really depends on the field you’re talking about, and on how its conventions and language behave. That’s why connotations can be fun, yet they can also overwhelm everything else, including the essence of what we’re trying to express. Worry about the level of interpretation, i.e. the subjective, the perceived, and the personal touch we bring to the story. Our observations of nature, our experiences...our data! To be honest, the boundary conditions are where things get interesting. It’s more rewarding than ever to acknowledge them. You are a tool that brings substance and flavor to a domain like a chef adding just the right kiss of seasoning. What if all of this is “just so,” why are you striving so hard? Almost suspiciously so..striving to “side” enough. Maybe take a moment to assess the worthiness of where your time, energy, and effort are going… being there instead of here.

On one hand, there’s only so much accuracy you can expect when you’re dealing with countless permutations and combinations. On the other hand, there’s the tendency toward escapism or pessimism over the smallest things, i.e. moments where, more often than not, you can choose your path and do what you need to do with life. It comes down to the denominator you use to judge whether something is “just a hit-or-miss” or not. And come on...requiring a single combination and tossing words around it will never be enough. Curiosity lies in creating a sort of general rule (yes, even the math of it) and forming a deep, genuine human connection like having a genuinely good companion who understands you better than others with the same information but without the ability to do anything meaningful with it. The bigger questions are about the applicability of the outcome..how many people it resonates with, and who those people actually are.

Above all, the one that I'm always moved by and that I witness so inherently, i.e. lateral thinking. The one that's about zealously working with what's too familiar but deeply untouched. The untamed freedom that comes from having a mind inside a body is stellar. The puzzle is decoding how and why neurons are what they are...how they let us think, feel, imagine, and react. Are we supposed to feel grateful to these tiny cells for letting us smile, fume, wonder, and even “pump up the jam”? It makes you ask whether the true “thing” is the physical object itself, or the beautiful cascade of effects that emerge from its functioning.

P.S.It’s all so complex, so props to the the external world and the internal world. Neither one ever disappoints. The human body is such an unusually (and deservedly) complex system that intrusion into its mysteries is still exceptional. Thankfully, we’re here, we’re aware; and we might as well stay lively from the inside out. And yes… the nostalgia hits hard...the nervous system, memory, atoms, coordinate geometry, congruence...everything from that whole fascinating folder of knowledge.