Midsummer’s Day Dream

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” What perhaps started out as a philosophical question evolved into a debate about the role of perception vs reality with the advent of quantum mechanics. While fascinating to contemplate, what seems to have been lost in the discussion is that it assumes us at the centre, that the “perception” that counts is perception by humans. This myopia, or arguably conceit, has biased our thinking, experience and understanding of the world. It took centuries for society to accept that the sun did not orbit around our earth at the centre, that in fact just the opposite. Perhaps we should take this a cue that similarly, we are not the centre of everything, that nature in fact does not revolve around us, that we are just another player, that there are other perspectives than ours. Maybe nature goes about its business quite happily with or without us and without our witnessing or certifying it.

Somewhere a riotous stream is coursing down a hillside, heading for a wild leap over the edge, to cascade down the drop off. The brilliant light of the valley below is just visible through the trees. A warmth pervades the scene. There is no human about, but the place is filled with bursting life everywhere – a midsummer’s day dream.