Big Picture, Little Picture, and the Levels of Reality

This reality is a very complex, layered place. Sorting through it can be quite difficult. The human mind has a way of compartmentalizing and structuring the thoughts, opinions, perspectives, dreams, and desires that make up our internal and external realities.

   I've heard terms like "looking at the big picture" or "don't sweat the small stuff" or "be a simple man" and I look at reality from a few angles, including the big picture global or existential perspective as well as the more grounded, immediate day to day responsibilities and activities.

        This world is a system of systems. There are often systems working within systems, and small systems themselves make up parts of a much larger, more complex systems. Complexity itself being something many people don't want to deal with in their lives, whether out of intimidation, indifference, or the desire for simplicity in life. 

     The systems of this world are often interconnected in different, unconventional ways that are hard to simplify or model completely accurately and without giving full respect to the applications and effects of those relationships. Talking about "layers" of reality may seem misleading. Instead of reality being simplified pancake hierarchal layering, I think of the "layers" of reality being more Kaleidoscopic, with layers interacting with layers in unconventional, jumbled, and multidimensional ways and relationships. 

This confusion and complexity present in the arrangement of many natural systems and human systems is actually quite beautiful and intriguing to me. Complexity isn't so much intimidating to me as fascinating. It takes a lot longer to solve and come to an understanding of a complex system than it does a simple one. The challenge and struggle is a lot more satisfying of a fulfilment than simplicity could offer. 

     Even with the mixed in Kaleidoscope that is our world and our reality, there is a hierarchy here. It is layered in the same way a body would be layered. If you want a biblical example, look at the body of Christ analogy in 1st Corinthians. 

      I look at existence as having a conscious pinnacle. Even in all its infiniteness there is a supreme consciousness sits at the highest point of Creation, a place most humans do not have a very good ability to conceive or picture. This consciousness has perfect awareness, understanding, and judgement for all things that exist. That being has awareness and perspective that I am not in a position to even attempt to describe, nor should I even attempt to assume how that Supreme Being operates. 

"He" is the head. The mind of existence. Everything else in creation is subordinate to that mind. That's the big, BIG picture perspective that almost all of humanity, including myself, does not understand, nor could we in the state we are in. Our vantage points, obviously, aren't omniscient or have absolute awareness. 

 Bringing it down to earth a bit. In our world, comprehending the Kaleidoscope of complex systems is quite elusive and extremely testing for most people. The world itself, aside from the rest of existence, is so complex and multifaceted that it would take almost an eternity just to understand this one world to an absolute completeness. Luckily for us, most of us aren't shouldered with that responsibility. Thank goodness.

Even with the Kaleidoscopic arrangement, their is still some simple, straightforward systems. Some pretty pancakey, "top-down" layers and hierarchies. I have me small town Montana life (Bozeman's a pretty small town in the grand scheme of things) with my friends, my job, my responsibilities, my phone, and my computer. On the small end of things, my life isn't super complex. Small social circle, no wife and kids. No criminal background. I have a safe place to crash. My problems in my past are getting easier to manage.

In terms of work I am "bottom of the totem pole," and I'm totally cool with it.  I love my job. I love working at MSU.

 I think about complexity because it adds more "layers" to my life and my mind. Complexity and hierarchies and all that fun intriguing  lines of thinking build a construct within my mind of a much more beautiful, much more wonderful, much more dynamic, and much more vibrant existence. One with more mental challenge. One with more adventure and victory, even if just in the mind.  Complex thinking exercises my mind in a way that gives me hope, a little more mental toughness, and helps me build resilience in my mind in the face of the losses and failures of my life. 

 This, along with my faith in God, who is the most complex thing in all of existence by far, gives me a hope and a strength that I would be lost and shipwrecked in this dying world without the grace of that hope and strength.