The
first question that I asked in this series related to the similarity
of multiplication tables and compulsives. It was a particularly apt
inquiry for me since I have some qualities of one of them. I can
also multiply. For the things I do there is one right way, and it's
important to me that things be done the correct way every time.i
That's the way it has to be if the results are to be “right” and
if they are to be predictable. For me, predictability goes with
absolutes,ii
structure, lists, rules, consistency, and “right,” as components
of my compulsiveness.
So
I was pleased when I saw my son demandingiii
that his children act in accordance with the practices they had
learned. What others might view as regimentation was, in fact,
education. It was a structure that guided the children in their
daily activities. We were all on the same page. The children
learned from their parents, who had learned from theirs. And so on.
It
is from the lessons of the past that a child learns, and that's how
we all learn, even as adults. Santayana is reputed to have said that
“Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”iv
Everything cannot be trial and error, so we have education.
And that leads us to the future. In order to stand on the shoulders
of giants, we have to know where they're standing. We may want to
think outside the box, but first we have to know what's in it. Our
education, including multiplication tables, provides the structure on
which we can build. Even if we don't want to reinvent the wheel, we
have to know of its existence. No. Especially if we don't
want to reinvent the wheel. First we must avoid duplicating the ways
of the past. Then we can go from there and improvise.
The
reality, though, is that few of us are innovators. We guide the
future generation based on what we have learned, which is what we
were taught by the generation prior to ours. Sure, some things are
unpredictable; there have been new events, ideas, and creations that
have appeared during our lifetimes and they'll be passed on. But
it's the predictable on which we rely – and for good reason. As
I've indicated: in order to live orderly lives, we need order.
Structure. Predictability.v
We need to know what will result from our actions.
I've
emphasized absolutes as our guideposts – completely reliable
standards and knowledge. It's important to knowvi
that it's right to offer help to an innocent person in need because
of circumstances beyond his control; and it's wrong to steal money
from the cup of a blind man.
Issues
of right and wrong, however, are not the only ones we face. Every
day we make decisions based on some certaintiesvii
and some things that are less than certain. If we cross a street
when we see no cars coming, it's likely we'll get to the other side
safely. But if we cross the street without looking, the outcome is
less predictable. Looking both ways before crossing may be a habit,
but performed consistently, as was drummed into us by our parents,
it helps us to negotiate this life more safely. Perhaps there are
many ways to accomplish the same end. But in the end, in the
interest of avoiding “analysis paralysis,” we must have a way of
responding to a situation or a question – preferably in line with
some standards of behavior set for us, or that we have set for
ourselves in accordance with the absolutes which we accept. If we
are true to our absolutes and our standards, we come to the same
conclusion every time: there is one best answer, one correct
response, one immediate and intuitive response. And we realize as
well that the best answer is often the simple one rather than a
complex answer. We've been there before. Perhaps the current
situation differs from those of the past. Still there are enough
similarities to allow the extrapolation of ideas and the adoption of
an approach that is consistent with our previous ones. We are
predictable, and, while consistency is often disparaged,viii
it provides a starting point for future development.ix
Absolutes, principles, standards, consistency, and predictability
furnish a structure – comprehensibility, an understandable position
from which we can move forward.
It
does not matter if society's standards are in law books, textbooks or
the the holy books – in fact all may hold the wisdom on which we
base our lives. Whether they come from multiplication tables or holy
tablets they provide the guidelines which are our starting points.
The important considerations are that we accept them and we share
them. Even if they're wrong, they provide common ground for all of
us. And we can only address them if we know what they are. Order,
structure, and predictability deflect chaos. And when they are
understood and any imperfections corrected, they are the basis for
living lives we can understand, and the same properties form the
basis for meaningful change and progress. And we all hope that the
progress will allow us to answer the ultimate question.
According
to “Hitchhiker Wiki,”x
“The
Ultimate
Question
is the
actual question behind the Ultimate Answer of Life, The Universe and
Everything.” It took “Deep Thought,” a super compter, seven
and a half million years, and logical and orderly algorithms, to
answer the question,xi
but ultimately it succeeded. Sort of. It came up with the answer
42. Apparently the original programers had not fully defined the
question and the “hero” pulled out some random letters from a bag
to provide the question. They spelled: “What
do you get if you multiply six by nine?”
"Six
by nine. Forty two."
"That's it. That's all there is."
It is an answer that, like much in life, makes no sense.xii The sad truth is that we know neither the questions nor the answers. Indeed, the answer to all of life's questions is not straightforward. Perhaps the “answer” is meaningless, which may itself have a message and meaning. So the sad truth is that the only way to make sense of our existence is, based on life's absolutes and by the use of common sense, to set our own rules – arbitrary, perhaps, but reproducible – and work with them. Every time.
Next episode: “Nota Bene 6” – Your turn.
I I
haven't skinned any cats recently. And if I did I expect that I
wouldn't vary my approach no matter how often I did it. In any
event, you know my orientation by now.
ii And
you know which system of absolutes I favor. But that's not the
point.
iii “Demanding”
is rather a strong word. Perhaps “expecting” is more
descriptive of what I saw. His children knew the rules and followed
them. No loud voices were necessary – only a soft-spoken
correction of any deviation from the way things were done. The
ground work, though, has to be the establishment of rules and a
structure.
iv The
Life of Reason, 1905, Scribner's. There were other versions as well, including one by Edmund Burke.
v Don't
you hate it when you arrive at an appointment on time – you do,
don't you – and the other party comes late? But that's really
predictable. Too many people don't feel bound by the rules. At
least some of us respect our fellows and fulfill our obligations.
We do our part in preventing chaos.
vi And
everyone should know. There's nothing cultural about it. It's
absolute. You disagree? You're wrong.
vii Actually
nothing is absolutely certain. Even the multiplication tables have
their limits and have to be used correctly. Seven times nine
does not equal fifty-eight except in base eleven. But an apparent
exception does not disprove an assumed rule. It may only indicate
that a different rule should be used.
viii For
example, Emerson and his hobgoblin, of which I've spoken in the
past.
ix “We
need consistency and predictability, and a sense of proper
placement. We need these things before we can mold the world into
what we know it can be.” – Allan Dare Pearce in “Hitler
Burns Detroit” –2013, iUniverse.
xi It
also required a sequel to the “Hitchhiker' Guide. “
xii Actually
it works in base 13. But Douglas Adams denied that he was aware of
that when he wrote. The number was arbitrary with the intent that
it be funny. In a way, that's a lot like life.
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