Have you ever noticed how often a tiny new stream has the same folds, bends and miniature cliffsides as a mature canyon? Or the way each stretch of beach echoes the inlets, outlets, peninsulas and tidal pools of the larger coastline?
Reality is fractal. Even if you don't understand the formula for the Mandlebrot Set (I don't), you can still recognize the mathematical beauty in a Romanesco cauliflower. (Follow the link in the picture caption to read new research into how a cauliflower grows like this.)
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| http://www.sci-news.com/biology/fractal-romanesco-cauliflowers-09853.html image by Marc Pascual |
The fact that fractals are so pervasive seems to me to indicate that there's a message to be heard, beyond the truism that everything is math.
I started thinking about another truism, or proverb, that "how you live your days is how you live your life." Or "take care of the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves." Our small interactions tend to repeat, to cycle, to build upon themselves. Ultimately, we end up where my mother wisely told me: People see in the world what they bring to it. Someone who is kind and friendly will perceive that others are kind and friendly. A con man will assume everyone is out to con him.
This isn't rocket science, though it may be math.
If you like the math, though, or canyons, here's a fun rabbit hole to run down: http://paulbourke.net/fractals/grandcanyon/
So, given the fractal nature of reality, and also given that the only thing we can control is ourselves, I'm going to try to pay more attention to the tiny new streams of my habits before they become a Grand Canyon of sloth.
Happy hiking, and may all your fractals be beautiful --
Elena
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