Part Five - Lines On a Map

Alone, when first arriving in a major city that is new to you, it seems infinite. The more you explore, the more familiar it becomes – the clearer the image. Lines are drawn, as your knowledge, understanding, likes and dislikes make themselves known to you. One person’s “there are too many people”, is another’s “it’s teeming with energy and life.” One person’s chili dog is another’s foie gras. What starts out as an infinite void of steel, concrete and strangers becomes something very real and definitive in your mind; especially if you are just passing through. Every moment, every experience draws lines on your map.
The world view has the same model. We, or shall I say “you”, are alive for so short an amount of time that it still amazes me that any social obstacle is ever overcome. Love, pride, fear, tradition/connection to the past, need for security, curiosity and climate have been the major influences on our understandings and actions, as I have witnessed.
Get an image in your head of who your 27th father was. That is, your Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. What did he look like? Where did he live? What was his understanding of the space around him – geographically, ideologically, spiritually, the whole shebang? Where was his place in the Cosmos? Where were the lines on his map? If that’s too much for you, go as far down your family tree as you can.
When I was a child, the above map represented our understanding of the Earth. It had only been called “Earth” for less than a Century.
We watched in horror and amazement as the lines on our map, and in our minds, stretched out farther than our imaginations could carry us. We had to have faith that something was over the horizon. Faith sometimes turns into knowledge.
I KNOW the earth is round (and by round I mean spherical). I’m not just taking it on faith that Pythagoras, Herodotus, Plato (and all those who came after), suggested it was spherical through fancy math and philosophy. By the time Columbus sailed west from Spain to India (or so the plan went), it was common knowledge that the Earth was round. It just was a little larger than expected.
Even though Faith comforts, it sometimes destroys. Mix faith with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, and we arrive at today.
Every friend and family member, every new frontier explored, every advancement, every piece of art, every religious person (from believer to extremist) and every war is a result of a varied mix of faith and knowledge. Add time to the mix, and the map becomes simultaneously both big and small. Simple complexities.
It fascinates me that the smaller we became on the map, the closer we became to understanding. The closer we became, the more intimate we became. Intimacy challenges our faith and knowledge since no two are alike - unlike snowflakes. Your mix meets another's mix, add water, stir and serve.
Mostly, I was met with fear. I was off the charts and off their map. My very existence challenged the faith and knowledge of the highest authorities. It probably still would, if I hadn't gone to great lengths to hide my existence from the world. I went from being off their charts to off the grid. But even the grid is getting more finite in its coverage.