Dimensional limitations of thought and perception I recently had new windows installed in my living room. The windows are 4 large plates of glass each one about 6 feet high and 3 to 4 feet wide. Two of them are fixed and two of them roll sideways to open and close. For this story I'll just talk about one set of them.When the window is closed, there is about 2 inches of glass that overlaps between the two plates of glass. This leaves a pocket of air between them. That pocket is about 6 feet tall, 2 inches wide and 1/4" deep. It is closed on 3 sides, the top, the bottom and the left edge. Leaving an opening 6 feet talk by 1/4" along the right side. When the window is open the overlap (and pocket of air between the plates) is closer to 4 feet wide than 2 inches. Open or closed, I noticed that a large collection of dead, dry, insect carcasses collect rapidly at the bottom of this gap. I haven't analyzed it in detail, but I suspect that when the window is more open, ie: the air pocket is wider, this builds up more rapidly. What I have noticed is that the insects will easily enter into this space. The pocket of air between the plates of glass and then fly and/or crawl up and down. They move quite readily in a vertical movement. Even though freedom and a longer life is just an inch or two away, horizontally, from their vantage point they can't perceive it. So they move many feet up and down in vain, only to lose their life and join the other dried out insect carcases below. From my vantage point it is easy to see the problem and the solution. But there is nothing I can do to change the perspective of the insects. Even though we are just inches apart, we are really in completely different worlds. I can physically, by using a ruler or blowing, save the life of an insect by removing it from that space. However, would anything change if I saved an insect and it returned to the space again? I mean would it have learned how to move freely in and out of it? Or, would it be just as stuck as it was the first time? How similar are our lives? Is there a bigger picture just inches away that is our key to a better life? Are there bigger forces that could help us see that bigger picture? Maybe even within our view there are keys that we simply don't see because we aren't paying attention. Let's see how our lack of vision, so to speak, and judgmental attitudes might combine to make the situation much worse. The follow is a story of a rambunctious teenage boy and his neighbor lady, you. This boy was never really in trouble, but you don't like him one bit. You never did. If you had anything to say about him it wasn't good. And, you aren't shy in sharing your feelings with everyone will listen and even those who aren't interested. As this boy grew into a teenager, he got involved with cars. You see a loud, ugly, dangerous wad of metal in his driveway. He sees a work of art, his first love, the muscle car that he has spent so many hours refurbishing and detailing. It is a brilliant work of art, but also very fast, powerful and dangerous. He enjoys irritating all the neighbors with the noise when he comes and goes, often in the wee hours of the morning. Everyday, you tell everyone, "I know he is going to kill someone with that car. He is always drunk and reckless. It is simply a disaster waiting to happen." Although your comments do reflect common sense and a valid observation from your vantage point, you do sound like a broken record beyond played through a low quality megaphone. Some of the other neighbors even feel your constant nagging is worse than his teenage boisterousness. A few have even commented under their breathes, "when is someone going to kill that lady?!?!" Now, your vantage point gives a clear picture. An obnoxious teenage boy with a fast car, loud drunken parties at his house and parents that don't seem concerned about either one. There is another side of things that you don't see. Maybe it's there to be seen, but you miss it because you are too busy being critical and speaking your mind. Or, possibly, from your vantage point it's simply not possible to see. Would it be any different if you spend any quiet time to yourself? We need to push aside all the negative attributes of the boy for a moment. The key to the bigger picture was already show, and easily visible to anyone who paid attention. "He loves his car." When he speeds out of his driveway with a roar of power and noise, it's a big show. Not only he is annoying you, but he bragging about his car. This leaves you with a vision of him tearing up and down the streets all night drinking beer as he drives. You see him putting on a performance more spectacular than those street racing movies. However, you never noticed that the police never come to his house. It seems whatever he is doing isn't getting him in trouble. All is there to be seen, but can you see only what supports your viewpoint. However, the big picture tells a different story. Not only does he have a love for his car, but a respect for it. That said he is also addicted to the adrenaline of driving fast! Little known to you or your neighbors, but well known to the boy and his parents is that he and his friends go to a nearby old, abandoned airport and use the old airstrip for their "need for speed". Of course it is dangerous. But they are putting themselves, not the whole town at risk. Plus the noise doesn't bother anyone. So this boy is able to express his teenage urges for speed and adrenaline in an appropriate manner. This is also why his parents tolerate his drunken parties. They know he is expressing that teenage urges in a manner that's not going to get him or someone else killed. It may be best that this boy not participate in either activity, but his manner of expression is very adult like and reasonable compared to the alternatives many other teenagers chose. Not many adults are responsible enough to keep their drinking at home, out of the car, nor drive responsibly on the public streets and highways. Today you were especially vicious when you were talking to your friends on the phone and really degraded your neighbor boy as he worked on his car in the driveway. In your loud, critical, demeaning voice. It's hard to imagine how anyone could listen to you on the phone. Maybe it was your intention. Maybe not, but your voice carried and the boy heard you clear if you were standing next to him, speaking directly to him. Today was not any different from any other day, he always heard you. He had been increasingly overcome by rage hearing your constant degrading comments. He believed you used the loud, harsh voice to be sure he would hear you. That evening is sped off as he usually did.. and even heard you yelling that he was going to kill someone over the roar of his engine. He thought to himself, maybe for once she is right. Sometime later you drifted off to sleep. You didn't usually dream, but this night you were having a particularly vivid dream and it seemed a bit unusual. It was a replay of the day and you even dreamt of falling asleep that evening. Your dream didn't seem to be a dream at all but a TV show that exactly represented your day. Then your dream shifted and was it more of a nightmare than the events of the day. It felt like your house was falling down and had burst into flames. Just at that moment there was a tremendous roar, bang and crash. You could feel the force of it send shockwaves through your house. The force was so strong it felt as if a strong wind was blowing in your bedroom. You were literally jolted out of your dream, to a standing position at the foot of your bed. You were covered in sweat and trembling with fear. You weren't sure if it was the dream or the crash that had you so fearful. As you walked to the window to see what happened, you could hear the sirens starting to get closer. You were shocked by the view out your window. Your lawn, drive and the neighbors yards looked like an active war zone. The neighbor boys car, or what seemed to be his car was in a million pieces all over the yard and it looked like another car too. You started to exclaim, "I knew it" and sat down to cry. As you sat on your bed and closed your eyes something strange happened. All your anger, fear and tears vanished. It was quiet and peaceful for a moment. Then the dream started again just like before, a TV show replaying all the events of the day. However, this time you were seeing things through the eyes and mind of the boy. You were literally experiencing that day as he did. You could hear your demeaning voice and feel his anger and frustration bubbling over. You were actually in his mind. You had his view of the world, whether you wanted to hear and feel it or not. For the first time in your life you started to see a true picture of what others thought about you. The boy's activities and plans for the night were starting to be reviewed in your dream now. He had been pushed over the edge, and had decided to follow up on one our common, demands. "He is going to kill someone on day!" For you that was just a expression. Today, he decided it was a command for him to act upon. He was done putting up with your bad attitude for a decade or more. You had never said a nice word to him much less a simple, "hello". That afternoon he was rigging up propane tanks and extra gasoline tanks in his car. The trunk and backseat was packed full. He was going to leave home as usual so no one would think anything was wrong. But, everything was wrong, nothing could have been worse. He had been pushed beyond his limits and tonight his plan was to put an end to his anger and frustration, not to mention you and your family. The road in front your house has a very long, very straight section and then a curve in front of your house. His plan was to use that straight away as a drag strip, as a run way to gain maximum speed for his car. He was sure he could be achieve 130 miles per hour if not a little faster on the straight away and where the road curved, just keep going straight into your house with a car packed full of explosive fuel. Now you are in shock because your earlier dream was so clear with your house collapsing and being engulfed in flames. But you are still seeing the world from this boy's perspective and see him grab the steering wheel tight and hit the gas pedal. You see the speedometer rapidly increasing toward 130 M.P.H. Now you see your house and and he's lined up with your front door and it is getting increasing bigger as he rapidly approaches. But then you see what looks like a big hand come out of nowhere and push a car that was parked on the street over just a few feet. In that moment you heard the tremendous crash again! Expert Page: The Fabric of Life | 
