January 4, 2009
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Possibility
The ability to imagine possibilities is the root of much of our experience.
Fear. (Various times.)
It is possible that I could fall off this ledge I am walking along and fall five hundred feet to the ground and land very hard on the ground and die. *shivers*
It is possible that that semi-truck might not see me next to him and thus will merge into my lane and push me into that concrete wall and it will be a terrible crash and I will die. *widens eyes*
It is possible that there is a very large spider in the basement that could crawl into my blankets while I am sleeping and I will feel it with my feet and start screaming and never be able to sleep in a blanket again. *shrieks*
Intellect. (In the hot Italian summer.)
Josh opens the freezer and holds up his water bottle exclaiming, “WHAT! Why does a third of my water disappear everytime I try to freeze it? What is happening??”
Suspicious indeed. And he has remarked that this has happened quite frequently in the last few days. He seems sincere. What to think?
Josh does not get very good grades, but it is possible that he is a very good actor. Perhaps he only filled it up two-thirds to start, and then claimed the water disappeared to trick us. “No way, Josh! How did the water get out, the bottle is solid! Do it again, I guarantee it won’t happen.”
He fills it up all the way in front of us and puts in the freezer, but much later he takes it out when it is frozen and a third is gone again. Perhaps he went back and poured it out while we weren’t looking? How tricksy is Josh? Would a person consider it worth it to trick people into thinking the freezer made his water disappear?
Water does many tricky things; how does it get on the outside of glasses in restaurants? So…who is the tricksy one here, science and water, or Josh? What is the probability he has been acting for several days, carefully controlling our perceptions? What is the probability this is one of the many things that happens in science that I don’t know about?
“No way, I don’t believe it!”
A HA! CAUGHT!! You have been pouring out the water, Josh. What an act! What mischievous scheming!!Action. (The other night.)
“Alright Melody, time to get off.”
“Aww, just a few more minutes!”
“You said you were just checking a few things.”
“Yeah, yeah, just a few more things.”I am in the kitchen, having been calling to her, and I pause to myself. The paths of possibility are clear; the future is such an interesting idea. I could kick Melody off the computer now, or I could let her stay on a few minutes longer. Either could happen, which one will? The former would benefit me more, but the latter is kinder. Surely allowing her a few more minutes is not the infinite inconvenience my original, self-centered intuition suggested?
Every morning we wake to subconsciously wonder, “What will happen today?” In that way each day starts a canvas of infinite possibility, slowly painted until we go to sleep thinking of how it ended up. But the whole of life is the greatest experience of possibility; once over, we look back at the enormous mural and think, “And that was one of all possible lives.”
Comments (5)
Possibility scares me. I guess I don’t have enough trust.
Luck is just a strange possibility we did not expect to take place.
indeed
That very last part got to me.
Nicely done, Phil.
Wanderlust can be contagious. This is going to be a tight year financially for me so I don’t know if I can escape anywhere exotic…. but I work so that I can travel. Someday soon at least.
Oh yes… those who suffer from the intense wanderlust condition are more spontaneous. With or without money. I’ll soon be developing to that stage. State parks can be exciting.
I am very glad that Man Stroke Woman has awarded you and your friends so much laughter. I am constantly introducing people to their work. Dinner at my house with friends soon turns to hours spent in front of YouTube. We’re 21st century people.
Is that the Les Miserable film with Liam Neeson? Reading the book requires stamina, endurance, focus, and speed. Like speed reading. It certainly is an accomplishment to have finished it and it is a courageous story that you will surely enjoy through thick and thin.
Go for it.