In the Mind of a Fish

The argument of chapter four was that we don't discredit other things we don't understand even though there is no value attached to believing them, but when it comes to God and beliefs such as the trinity of God, we have to explain it, ignore it, or debunk it.

We see a leaf fall to the ground and we think that it is because it is fall that it has happened. But, in reality, we are accepting with no wonder in it at all the fact that all the trees know to drop their leaves at the same time and that they lose their green before they fall and create that colored carpet on our lawns, forests and fields. We don't think of the fact that it falls and that, when it falls, it doesn't fall like a rock to the ground. It falls leisurely to land softly on the top of the grasses. We not only don't know why or how this whole processes happens, but we don't even care. We just accept it like that is what it is supposed to be.

If we are asked by someone, "Do you believe that leaves fall to the ground during the fall season?", we would answer that they do. If we were asked if we know how that it can possibly happen, we just point to the ground and say, "There it is." We aren't concerned with debates and we aren't concerned that someone may think little of us if we can't explain it. There really isn't anyone who can explain it even if they think they can.

Science is the answer to all our questions. But, it seems that it is only true for those who are not scientists. Scientists know that for one item that they are able to prove as a discovery, they create many more questions to be answered in that discovery. To answer why a leaf falls to the ground, I can think of several things that a person would need extensive knowledge in.

I would have to be able to explain how the anatomy and chemistry of a tree works, how and why the tilt of the earth affects the tree, how and why the earth is considered to be tilted, how gravity works and how friction affects falling objects. Even if I had intimate knowledge of those things, I would still be at quite a loss when the question of why is put into place. So, we know we can't know and we know it happens, so we just accept it without the understanding of how and why.