It’s All Invented
Years ago I read a great book called The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. In a chapter titled “It’s All Invented” we learn that each species perceives information from our surroundings differently. Frogs don’t see any colors, while bees can see patterns in ultraviolet light on flowers. Owls can see in the dark, and dogs hear sounds that we can’t hear. We think we can see and hear everything, but in fact our senses only bring us selective information. Our brains use this information to tell us a story of what we “know” about the universe. If our knowledge about what we’re seeing and hearing is invented by our brains, what other stories are we inventing? “I’m not good at math.” “My coworker is badmouthing me behind my back.” “I’m a slow runner.” These are all stories we tell ourselves, all the time. In the book they show a famous puzzle of the nine dots. The goal is to join all nine dots with four straight lines, without lifting your pen from the paper: Nearly everyone classifies the dots into a square: and by doing it this way, the puzzle is unsolvable. But nowhere in the instructions did it say “connect the dots with four straight lines, without lifting your pen from the paper… within the square formed by the outer dots.” What happens when you realize you can use the whole sheet of paper? The false limitation of the square is an invention by our minds. It’s a perfect reminder that it’s all invented- everything is just a story we tell ourselves. The chapter ends with this food for thought: What assumption am I making, That I’m not aware I’m making, That gives me what I see? And then… What might I now invent, That I haven’t yet invented, That would give me other choices? Since it’s Tuesday I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics. Thanks ladies!