2023
The brain is a tool, and with this tool we 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, a reason why.
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, constructing connections between even these 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. Scientific data is isolated, broken down to study specifics. The concept of isolation is fabricated, though. Everything exists as part of a larger whole. This link cannot be severed. Patterns in microorganisms can be found similarly in galaxies. Is this not a magical phenomenon?
Science and religion overlap in purpose, aiming to create an understanding of life and death and the cosmos; forever searching for an ultimate truth that can’t quite be grasped.