Dance of the Thorns

This picture of weeds looks very different depending on how we see it. Looking closely at the plants, they seem spikey, forbidding, like they will break if touched. But looking at the overall arrangement, it evokes the graceful lines of ballet dancers — easy to imagine flowing movement.

This is an example of how observing things at different scales can cause us to see them differently.

This works for more than visual appearances. Complex systems of many types can appear very different at different scales.

Economies may be an example of this. Individual spending can be irrational, driven by things like fear or hope, frugality or greed. However, behavior at a national level may smooth those out and reveal, for example, the broad flow of growth.

I think this is especially important when looking at deep topics such as metaphysical truths – why things exist at all, whether there is meaning to life, the nature of consciousness, and so on. It’s easy to get caught up in details and miss the big picture concepts.

If we want to see the world more clearly, this means that we need to pay attention at different scales. We need to pay attention to details, yet not get lost in the weeds. We need to see both the forest and the trees.