waves are crashin, thoughts keep coming

insights on a line taken from Paulo Coelho's Brida.

 

I couldn’t sleep so I decided to read through a few pages of Brida hoping that it’d help me drift off… then I came across this line: “We study what we can see, but what we see is not always what exists.” All of a sudden, sleep’s out of the question.

 

I am not sure why exactly that particular line struck me; why as if something was telling me that i had to write something or anything about it. Well, I might as well try digging up a few insights.

 

We study what we can see. I studied Chemistry for what, 5 years? And I found it really hard to understand and adhere to scientific concepts when I could not get a clear picture of it; hence, the experiments. Experiments allow us to observe how laws work and come up with results which serve as substantial evidence verifying that a certain theory or some proposed phenomenon really happens as stated. Even the brightest minds of Science had to perform experimentations because they could not simply guess; they had to make themselves, more so other people accept their “bizarre ideas” as true. Yes, every one of those IDEAS may be labeled as “explorations of the unknown” and yet, these scientists saw the necessity of showing something to the world.

 

Yes, there is that “implicit need” for some concrete, tangible proof before people can completely believe. And I don’t think it’s a bad thing. People should not be blamed for wanting proofs. People should not be condemned for hankering after guarantees or assurances. It is human instinct to believe in and look further into what you see, and doubt what you don’t.

 

But what we see is not always what exists. When people are blinded by prejudice, they begin seeing the wrong things. When they form vivid pictures of their desires in their minds, they mistake them to be real events instead of mere thoughts that are not actually happening. Or it could be their blinkered minds that prevent them from accepting reality and push them to perceive circumstances in a way that strictly fits their own philosophies.

 

          Sometimes, we become too obsessed with seeing something atypical or strange or mind-blowing to the point of making things up. Then, what do we have? Nothing but wasted time and effort. It is intelligent to want to know a lot but it is wise to know only what is essential.

 

I guess it is not having the patience and verve for probing into each teensy weensy detail that we may encounter during the journey which we call life but rather having a queer eye to sort out from these countless details what is necessary and truly existing that is the key to having a worthwhile “passage”.

 

 

 

Reviews

[bailish]

I think you've hit on some interesting insights there. I'm only sorry that it cost you a night's sleep. lol

I took a slightly different approach to my understanding of those lines. I viewed it from the standpoint of the difference between what we see and what is actually there. Our understanding of this world is limited by how we perceive it. As in the science experiment, the scientists had to create experiments, view the results, and deduce the underlying makeup of the universe.

[Last Lying Look]

wow. This has some really excellent points in it. Good job!!!