Imagining the invisible
Imagining the invisible
Muse #153 - what we can't see, but waiting to be discovered
I am reading The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Ian McGilchrist in which I found this wonderful comment by Plato that I thought I should share.
It was, after all, Plato who said that we should do astronomy by ‘ignoring the visible heavens’, who taught that the imperceptible forms of things were more real than the things themselves
McGilchrist, Iain. The Master and His Emissary (p. 295). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
And this so much true and deep for so much application beyond astronomy. After all, sensemaking is seeing beyond what is visible (right-brained) to see what is impossible (left-brained) - which forces one to use their creativity, imaginations and make new connections.
When one looks beyond what one can see, then it leads to discovery (invention, innovation) of something new - and one imagines the impossible then potentially we start looking for options to make the impossible real if one is capable of doing so.
In the astronomy example, when one imagines beyond the stars and the constellations that one could see, then we develop tools and techniques (telescopes, probes, etc.) to explore beyond the visible. Technology is innovated to make the invisible, visible. And this cycle continues.
It is such a deep quote and resonated with me today.
Vaccine update: After 48 hours of struggle, at 3 PM this afternoon the storm got spent and the weather suddenly cleared. The fever that persisted until this morning faded. The chills and fatigue went away. And the pulse returned to my normal. In effect fair weather again. And hopefully, the immune system has been triggered enough to be ready to create the antibodies when the real thing arrives, if at all.