It's All About Perspective / by Alexander Lyadov

What's that moving in the grass? A dog in a poncho? Or drunk?"

While the bright red object made peculiar movements, my mind frantically searched for a suitable template to explain it.

It turned out to be a forgotten heart-shaped balloon: "Ah, I see." The anomaly seamlessly fit into the familiar world. A small example, but encounters with Novelty happen just like that.

A new event can evoke surprise or shock depending on its weirdness, suddenness, and magnitude. The phenomenon will burn a person from within until he (or she) find a way to "tame the fire." Any "wild" object must be captured, studied, and understood. Otherwise, danger will lurk everywhere.

But sometimes an event is so absurdly extraordinary that there are no analogues in our knowledge base. The organism may fall into a state of anabiosis, transforming into one big question. And until an answer is found, it is impossible to live and act fully. The individual becomes a pale reflection of himself, leaving family and friends bewildered, while the business merely drifts by inertia.

Then there are three options. The first one: the unbearable burden can trigger a self-destructive spiral leading downwards. The second: unable to solve the problem, the organism encapsulates it in a bubble. It brings discomfort, but with bandages and painkillers, functioning is possible. The third: finding an alternative perspective (theory, paradigm) that will explain the disorienting phenomenon in a way that restores confidence and peace to your mind.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander


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