The Study Of Limit Theory, Autism and Athletics Expands Your Worldview

Hi folks, welcome!

An interesting book, lent to me by my Continuum teacher, Rebecca, containing interesting concepts and observations From: http://goo.gl/AxM8z

I never was very good at mathematics, though I gave it the ‘old college try’ in my mid-fifties. I reached a certain level of proficiency after working problems for 20 hours a week for about five years (not exaggerating). Then I ran into an impassable brick wall, Topology, and so moved on to other things. I knew that there was so much more to learn, so much to see, and so much I would never see due to my being ‘mathematically challenged’ (I heeded the advice of Dirty Harry!). If you are not too familiar with the beauty of mathematics you should give it a try, because you actually do ‘see’ things that you can’t ‘see’ without it. My level of proficiency did include a fleeting ability to derive one piece of mathematical magic from scratch, the Taylor series (not that I could do that now). This experience introduced me to the Power of Limits in mathematics, which uses a series equations that go on forever, attacking smaller and smaller pieces of a problem to give greater and greater accuracy. Mathematics is a remarkable ‘microscope’ with which to view the universe, and it certainly changed my worldview in that I got to see underlying patterns that were previously invisible.

A photo of Rory, taken by his mother, Deb, which portrays the vortex of movement in which he seems to thrive.

The next thing that changed my perception of the world around me was meeting my partner’s grown son, Rory, who has autism. He can’t hold much of a conversation, but boy, does he respond to music and flickering lights? He knows what he likes and what he doesn’t and I can’t tell why he chooses what sometimes. I strongly suspect that he is sensing characteristics of the music to which I am completely deaf. Knowing this led me realize that I have much to learn on the music front, which is the first step in the direction of self-improvement, being aware of one’s own level of ignorance. Through my studies of Continuum I am finally making progress with my ability to detect the influence of music and dance on my feelings, so with a little work I may have a glimpse into the world of people with autism. I suspect that their world is very rich, but in ways that we do not comprehend. The things Rory does all the time are beautifully explained in the following video, and please watch it through as the first half makes little sense until you watch the second half. This is a remarkable video.

Then we come to sports. Had I not become a competitive Ironman triathlete, I would never have tested my limits on a bicycle. It was the testing of such limits that demonstrated to me the remarkable achievement of world class cyclists, like Lance Armstrong. I watch and wonder ‘how the hell can they do that?’ You have to experience a few category one climbs on a bike to truly appreciate their achievements in races like the Tour de France.

It is up to you how many windows you open upon the world, and each one takes time and energy, whilst life is brief and the number of windows is infinite. Trying a ‘foreign’ language can be a good place to start, and then make your choices as you expand your experience and insight. Greater insight through experience leads to improved appreciation, which is an expansion of your worldview that tends to tolerance and understanding. Now, that can’t be a bad thing, can it?

-k @FitOldDog