Page #42
Q: You know, MA, that I have closed all my e-mail accounts where readers were giving me feedback.
MA: I understand.
Q: It got a bit repetitious and, in all honesty, this project is winding down. I hope that our friendship can remain however - it is lots of fun knowing you.
MA: You are always welcome in my home and you can use my cabin any time you choose. After all you have done so much work up there you should own some sweat equity by now. But it will be good to see you move on to something new. You have probably wasted your time writing about me.
Q: MA I have never thought that you fully understand how well known and respected you are on the Internet. It is my opinion that your writings from the last seven years will be quoted for some time to come.
I would not have missed this series of articles for the world. This project was started on a whim, grew to be an all-consuming effort for me and it is now my prize possession. Not to mention Kate and the change she has made in my life.
MA: That is good to hear.
Q: But I would like to touch on a few subjects that have been asked by my readers, would you mind?
MA: Be glad to help.
Q: I titled this project as “The Coming Wave” due to the first conversation we had up at the lake. What I would like to do now is to go back and address that issue in great detail.
When I was writing the first article in this series I tried to give a rough image of your worldview and your vision for the future. I did a terrible job transmitting that information and as a result several websites that were hosting my work were flooded with complaints.
Now that I have laid a better foundation on which to build that conversation, I would like to explore your concept of the “Coming Wave” with you.
MA: It seems a perfect day to do so.
Q: You have been retired for a very long time now, do you miss working in the field?
MA: No.
Q: When we spoke at the lake for the first time your opinions were very new to me and, in all honesty, somewhat shocking.
I had never known someone with strong religious beliefs who also believed in evolution.
MA: It is not as unusual as you might think. In fact the more you study the workings of the universe the more you find yourself in awe of the beauty.
Q: And you feel that man is subject to both evolution and to God's will?
MA: Why would you think that evolution is not God's will?
Q: Well I don't know. Isn't evolution a physical system that functions independently?
Page #43
MA: So is the morning dew and so is the rainbow. But to insist that the Creator did not create the operating system for his work is a bit naive.
Q: Operating System?
MA: Why yes, evolution, gravity, electromagnetism and sex are all part of the big picture that makes this rare and wonderful experience not only exist, but change and constantly evolve. If you ever study fractals you can see that there may even be simple patterns or elements used over and over in varying magnifications. Sort of like building blocks but way more complex.
And, of course, we know now that the condition we once called chaos is all smoke and mirrors.
Chaos is simply highly complex rhythms that, at this time, are beyond our understanding. And this is not a sermon about not knowing God, but simple mathematics.
We know for a fact (thank you Mitchel Feigenbaum) that the mathematical process whereby an orderly system moves into the realm of chaos is highly structured and a mathematically beautiful rhythm.
Then we lose our way. The rhythms are just too complex. That does not mean they don't exist, because they do - just that we do not have that level of perception yet.
Q: Perception. I see. Actually I have done some reading that has helped me understand why you always site order vs chaos as an example of perception.
I have very limited math skills, but I can understand the significance of being able to predict events right up to and a little ways into chaos. It is way cool reading.
MA: Extra cool.
MA: It is that predictability that is so important. The more in tune we are to our environment and the dynamics that it operates under - then the more we can understand and predict change.
Q: That makes very good sense to me MA.
Q: So when you speak of being worried about challenges to our continued population growth (as a species) you are using that predictability?
MA: Very much so. While we may be the overwhelmingly dominate species on this rock, it would be sheer vanity to believe that we exist out of the normal natural processes of life. It just is not true.
Our species is subject to all the forces that influence, regulate and contain population growth - we are not Gods. However it is our ability to understand and react to those forces that is our strong suit.
Q: What kind of forces are you talking about?
MA: Well the most basic dynamic is simply this:
Is the birth rate larger than the death rate? If the answer is yes then you are in an era where the species is expanding.
Q: Haven't we always expanded as a species?