Brian Greene and Edward Abbey

In Brian Greene’s essay, “Our Universe Might Be a Giant Hologram,” he brings up the idea of another universe. A universe that is in another dimension and that we live in. Like for example our reflection in our mirrors could be a whole other dimension we live in. Just imagine how crazy and scary that would be. It would be crazy because we would have no idea when we are switching between universes; and it would be scary because we are basically being controlled. He describes it like a string puppet, someone always calling the moves the puppet is going to make and controlling its every step. If his theory of us being holograms were correct, then our reality of life would be completely wrong. Edward Abbey’s essay talking about the relationship between creatures and humans was rather beautiful. He did talk about how humans and animals possibly could have different emotions all together, but that since we are on earth we have to learn to live with each other and except one another. He first let mice live in his house, which most humans would want to trap and get rid of right away. He then noticed rattlesnakes appearing and instead of killing them, which I knew would have been my first instinct, he goes to get a gopher. The gopher and him then form this bond together, which in my mind is a beautiful thing. By letting the mice live in his home, he formed a different kind of bond with the creatures that lived around him.  He is able to connect with nature through this experience and at the same time knows that he may never know exactly what each creature is thinking, it leaves him guessing and wanting to know more. This relationship shows that there is much that we don't know about the universe that might be just in front of our eyes. It leaves room for us to learn and explore into greater depths by just noticing the small things, for example the creatures that we might normally be afraid of like the snakes and mice. 

Greene and Abbey reflection

The argument that Greene make in his essay is that our three dimensional reality is actually a projection of physical processes going on in a two dimensional realm; he calls this his holographic parallel universe theory. He explains this by referring to black holes; we see them as a two dimensional surface, but what lies within is a three dimensional reality. He refers to physicists that explain that the physical processes within the three dimensional volume of the hole are measured by the size of the two dimensional hole. This would mean that the physics of the two dimensional surface govern what happens inside. I think he's arguing that we are a three dimensional reality that's a projection of a distant surface. This idea doesn't change my ideas of reality at all. It seems like the physicists and Greene are coming up with ideas about our reality and alternative ones at no gain; it doesn't change a damn thing even if we are a projection of an alternative world. The things we do have an immediate effect on our physical world and our reality, and we need to worry about those rather than speculate about what could be out there.

Abbey is essentially one with his environment and the creatures within it. He’s completely connected with the creatures, however he also is isolated from them in the sense that he’s an individual just as much as each of them is; he conveys this well by recognizing “that where and when they serve purposes of mine they do so for beautifully selfish reasons of their own.” It would be life changing and necessary to experience what Abbey experienced in the desert. Connecting to nature and being one among many animals who are out on their directionless adventure of life and seeing animals as more important than humans is humbling. Abbey is very comfortable with the unknown, yet he longs for the answers about the unknowns of nature. He wants to know if animals feel some emotion that humans are unaware of because he sees that as one of the greatest mysteries of all time, and it is one of the most interesting inquiries there is. A common ground between the two readings is people wanting to figure out the unsolvable. Greene wants to know if we’re merely a projection of some alternate reality, and Abbey wants to know “what the dolphins are waiting so patiently to tell us.” I’ve experienced bewilderment in this way, and over both of these topics. Everyone has stared up at the stars and felt cosmic bewilderment and wondered what else is out there, and everyone has looked into the eyes of their pet or some animal and wondered if they can understand or if they have emotions that they are longing for us to understand. The earth is all we know, yet every aspect up for study is full of mystery and bewilderment. I think we have to just accept how things are and not worry too much about the loads of knowledge that’s just out of our reach, and stay bewildered.

Unknowing

The idea of the universe being just a large hologram honestly makes me think of the whole world being a spinning holograph on the dash board of Death Star. Just sitting there, incapable of doing anything but floating slowly and indefinitely. The concept of light having its own waves and means of movement also brings SciFi to the table, alternate realities having their own universe that we have no access to. It's rather terrifying to be frank. While Greene brings the string theory to the table, it makes me think about mirrors, and what if they are actually portals to other worlds. It's crazy, i know, but thats just the fun of it. What if mirrors really are a glimpse into something larger than us. What if the only thing keeping us from entering is our reflection. Or what if we're the reflection. Maybe everything actually is linked together. In The Serpents of Paradise, I begin to think of Adam and Eve in the garden, alone. The serpent speaks to them, as the doves speak to the main character. Though in both stories the characters are alone, they have begun to develop a relationship among what they have. In both readings, they have become lost in their surroundings. In Greene's essay, he has lost himself in the mirrors, and the idea of an alternate reality. In Abbey's story, he has become lost in the desert. They have both accepted this concept of bewilderment. They have strayed into the realm of the unknown, literally and figuratively. We know not what lays beyond the boundary of our city, more or less our universe. These massive concepts of being alone in the world, or not being alone in the slightest have become such an immense controversy, we forget that we don't even know if we are alone in this world. Until you have braved your own desert, or questioned your mirror, you don't really understand being lost in reality. We begin to take all we have for granted. When the serpent tempted Eve with the apple, she know not what she had, only what she wanted. This craving we have to know more may just be an itch to know more for now, but what if in the end, it really shows us what's beyond this atmosphere.

Serpents of Paradise

Abbey’s connection to his environment is quite beautiful. He has accepted the creatures’ presence and allows them to be around his home/territory. Most people are repulsed by mice and snakes and want them gone and nowhere near their personal sanctuary. Abbey first lets the mice live within his trailer house, but when he notices that the mice start to attract snakes he becomes wary, but before he decides to set traps for the mice he falls upon a gofer snake which in a way he domesticates and keeps in his house to eat the mice and keep the rattle snakes away. Instead of following his human instinct to kill the rodents and serpents he gets what he wants by using the cycle of nature for his own benefit. He becomes a mutual friend with the gofer snake and they use each other for their own purposes. I feel that he feels more connected to nature than most people but also disconnected to it at the same time. When he was witnessing the “pas de deux” of the two gofer snakes he was helplessly drawn to the dance but also when he was discovered and the snakes were slithering toward him he freaked out and let the fear of the snakes lead him to stand up and make the snakes go away. He mentions that, “If I had been as capable of trust as I am susceptible to fear I might have learned something new or some old truth so very old we have all forgotten it.”

I feel that it would be beneficial to experience this at least once in a lifetime. Aside from the serpent ordeal he experiences I can relate to his early morning gazes and appreciation for nature. I have moments like those very often. The world is indescribably beautiful and mysterious. It’s mind blowing to think how everything in the world works together to make a masterpiece. Everyone should have these moments of exquisite clarity. I think that Abbey wonders about the unknown and is intrigued but he has also accepted it as a mystery. He states, “We are obliged, therefore, to spread news, painful and bitter though it may be for some to hear, that all living things on hand are kindred…” which means that in a way he has already figured out the surface of the mystery.

Bewilderment

Bewilderment: to cause to lose one's bearings or to perplex or confuse especially by a complexity, variety, or multitude of objects or considerations; This is what Merriam Webster describes bewilderment as. I think Fanny Howe brought up bewilderment in her essay because with bewilderment comes new ideas and new ways or seeing things. "Lord, increase my bewilderment." This is the Muslim prayer Howe talks about in her essay. I think one would pray this because when you are in a bewildered state, you are forced to think about the situation in a different way. When you lose your bearings, you are forced to leave your comfort zone and think and act in ways in which will help you address your problems. Although if when one is lost or confused they may not see that they have another way out.  She talks about how weakness, fluidity, concealment, solitude can take over. We have all been in a situation where we were thrown a variety of things in our path and we just didn't quite know how to handle it. No longer are the feelings of courage, discipline, or conquest one our minds, like how Howe talks about, but the feelings or distress take over. Bewilderment can either enhance our actions and understandings or they can break us and make us feel more lost.

Bweilderment

Fanny Howe draws on bewilderment in her writing in such a way that she almost makes sure to create a sense of confusion; not to say that the reading is confusing, but that there’s a huge level of uncertainty associated with it. I like Howe’s use of dreams to convey bewilderment in this poetic writing. I’m either twisting her ideas or completely agreeing; I can’t be sure because it’s so open ended, but dreams are a connection to bewilderment. As she says, “there is no plain path, no up and down, no inside or outside, but there are strange returns and recognitions and there is no conclusion.” Bewilderment in life is essentially the certainty that everything is uncertain, and that we can’t be in control of the uncertain; we must be bewildered. It is important to know what is certain in life in several areas. If we were uncertain that we were physically here, then that would create quite the predicament; we should be certain of physical life. Complete dream state would be a world with no certainty; we have to be certain that we’ll be here tomorrow, otherwise we’d live without hope. Bewilderment is necessary on the other hand in a similar opposite way; we cannot know the spiritual truths that humans have questioned since the idea of creation. Bewilderment is essential to man because we mustn't lose sight of what is good and natural, and to industrialize everything and eradicate nature to the whim of our wants is to destroy the very foundation of what got us here and how we became.

Bewilderment

Bewilderment is the beauty of getting lost; experiencing the moments of euphoric wonder in uncharted territory, the mystery of the loss of bearing and boundaries, and the perplexity and awe of the inconceivable, mind blowing truths and coxes the world throws at us. When the spiral spins it seemingly appears and disappears into thin air; bewilderment. That moment when you figure out the maze and think about the infinite many detours/solutions the maze holds; bewilderment. When you gaze up at night and get lost in the constellations and thoughts of your size compared to the twinkling stars and if there really is an end to the seemingly endless black velvet landscape that covers the sky; bewilderment.

In my opinion, “Bewilderment,” talks more of the importance of bewilderment than that of certainty. Though I think both are very important, the emphasis on bewilderment in this essay made its importance more obvious to me. Certainty is imperative when making certain decisions. There are times when we need guarantees, concrete facts and rock solid barriers and boundaries to feel secure in our decision.  We cannot always blindly make decision and run into situations with no certainty of the out come or certainty of the layout. Sometimes we need a map. On the other hand, bewilderment is the divergence of life. It is the breaking down of concrete walls; it exposes “the weaknesses from the bottom up, the conspiracies, the lies, the plans, the false rhetoric.” Howe describes it as “grassroots that imitates the way grass bends and springs back when it is stepped on. It won’t go away but will continue asking irritating questions to which it knows all the answers.” Bewilderment is necessary because we need to look past the walls and out side the box. If we stay comfortably inside its cardboard barriers then nothing will ever change. Life is about taking chances, making mistakes and discovering and experiencing new things. All of these actions root from bewilderment and its dare to dream and get lost. “This walk into the wilderness is full of falls and stumbles and pains,” but it is to each their own if the wonders out weigh the possible risks.