2023
The brain is a tool, one we use to understand and experience the reality in which we exist. Our brains conceptualize ideas that extend beyond what we can see or feel. We believe, in situations where truth is elusive. Religion is a way of seeing ourselves in the world. Rooted in mystical narratives, it provides meaning for occurrences difficult to explain. Systems of belief, as well as scientific study, attempt to reconcile what it means to be human. Our state of being means we are continually reaching for understanding.
Data visualization, a method of learning built for the brain, by the brain, provides meaning in abstract form. Representative of a particular reality, knowledge is encoded into an abstract form. The brain can be considered a pattern recognition device here, constructing connections between even the most disparate of points.
Exploring the unknown, we discover that patterns occupy all parts of life. "Fractals" are geometric shapes occurring in nature— their patterns irregular and their individual parts reflecting a whole. Patterns in microorganisms can be found similarly in galaxies. Is this not a magical phenomenon?
Science and religion overlap in their purpose, aiming to create an understanding of life, death and the cosmos; forever searching for an ultimate truth that can’t quite ever be grasped.