The idea in this blog is to explore ways of picturing those parts of the world that are not always clearly apparent. During the normal course of days, we naturally focus on the here and now, the tangible, the rational. This is understandable, since our interactions with the world are mainly through natural senses and physical manipulation. Sometimes we encounter abstraction, but useful only when it is rational, and so serves as an extension of material understanding. This is a cyclical process, for as we are more effective in relating to the world on its terms, we generally find more success in the world. Deviation from this model is typically considered delusional.

But even a cursory pause for reflection shows that this view is limited. As much as we may want to believe that love is nothing more than hormonally-driven behavior, there’s something disquieting, if not downright depressing, about this view. To go even further into the realms of consciousness and self-awareness moves us well past the bounds of current knowledge and understanding about the world.

Now by itself, this is no big deal. As our understanding of reality continues to be incomplete, we will always have such a boundary. Experience shows that the boundary also continues to move, that human understanding continues to advance. Perhaps even such puzzling items as self-awareness will eventually be figured out. And yet it is right here that science seems to encounter some of the most interesting conundrums. Things like quantum physics and relativity have a not-quite-rightness about them that hint at limits for rational human comprehension.

It is this hint that seems most interesting to me. Are there aspects of reality that do not fit any material-based rational paradigm? Many would say yes, of course, whether from a philosophical treatment of Godel’s Theorem, or some supernatural perspective. My bias stems from a Christian perspective, but perhaps not a common one. The practice of this faith often leads to imposition of its ideals on the world in which we all live. This blog, on the other hand, is more concerned with simply exploring the nature of reality through the lens of the faith, via abstract illustrations. I’m often surprised to stumble across some new way to illustrate alternate perspectives of reality, and finally decided to share them here.

Pictures from physics, philosophy, mathematics and more, illuminate aspects of reality that lie beyond rational comprehension. Pictures are not proofs, and do not argue for anything. They just illustrate, and that’s what I find fun.