It
never rains, but it pours.
Commentary:
Everybody
who has been hanging out in the universe, knows this simple fact. Of
course in it's larger application we see that indeed: The universe is
made out of clusters, strings, waves!
Everything
exists between two extremes: Empty space – no rain at all! Compact
space like at the center of the earth, the sun, or a black hole –
the rain is so thick you don't want to go there.
Thick,
thin, large, small, heavy, light, dark, light...hmm...particles,
waves... Sounds like Hegel, or the I Ching.
Anyway,
it's a very reliable law – every professional gambler,
meteorologist, or quantum physicist can attest to that.
THE SECOND LAW:
You
can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Commentary:
This
metaphor describes why teaching and learning are such difficult
tasks. It is our inability to accept new information and the desire
to stick with what we know. Like the pope, who refused to look
through Galileo's telescope, because he already knew there was
nothing to see.
Footnote:
Most
early cultures quickly figured that if you sell the water to the
horse – it would happily drink...
THE THIRD LAW:
We
have a very poorly functioning memory.
Commentary:
Conventionally,
to illustrate this point, one would claim to have forgotten the
commentary – haha – nevertheless that would show enough memory to
remember the joke etc.. and contradict itself. There are two types of
memory lapses: Misplacement of the information or complete deletion.
Misplaced information we usually are aware of, we know that we used
to know, we just can't quite get there. Information that was
completely deleted, doesn't leave any trace it ever existed. Never
happened!
THE FOURTH LAW:
The
Law of the Surf
Commentary:
This
law cannot be described in words: I usually show it by going into a
surfer-pose, bending slightly forward, both leg firmly on the ground,
and balancing with widely stretched arms.
What
that means is: You cannot learn “The Tango” from a book! Somebody
has to show it to you. Then your mirror-neurons can replicate the
movement without problem. These are speechless instructions, that
also explain the otherwise unexplained mystery of the infectious
yawning, sneezing, synchronized swimming, etc... So it's a wordless
law – it needs to be shown.
THE FIFTH LAW:
The
Law of the Unintended Consequences
Commentary:
However
smart you are, when you think you covered every eventuality – you
have to make room in your calculations for the unintended. That's
just the way it is. It's a law!
THE
SIXTH LAW:
This
space intentionally left blank.
Commentary:
See
above.
As they were experienced by Brummbaer
2013
