Yesterday was the first time this year that I saw the painted turtles sunning on the log at the edge of the pond. Each time I see them lined up on the log I think of the old story about
Turtles All the Way Down
The following anecdote is told of William James. […] After a lecture on cosmology and the structure of the solar system, James was accosted by a little old lady.
“Your theory that the sun is the centre of the solar system, and the earth is a ball which rotates around it has a very convincing ring to it, Mr. James, but it’s wrong. I’ve got a better theory,” said the little old lady.
“And what is that, madam?” inquired James politely.
“That we live on a crust of earth which is on the back of a giant turtle.”
Not wishing to demolish this absurd little theory by bringing to bear the masses of scientific evidence he had at his command, James decided to gently dissuade his opponent by making her see some of the inadequacies of her position.
“If your theory is correct, madam,” he asked, “what does this turtle stand on?”
“You’re a very clever man, Mr. James, and that’s a very good question,” replied the little old lady, “but I have an answer to it. And it’s this: The first turtle stands on the back of a second, far larger, turtle, who stands directly under him.”
“But what does this second turtle stand on?” persisted James patiently.
To this, the little old lady crowed triumphantly,
“It’s no use, Mr. James—it’s turtles all the way down.”
— J. R. Ross, Constraints on Variables in Syntax, 1967
Life’s Astonishments
Yesterday before I saw the turtles on the log I noticed circles of ripples in the pond at the point where the water met the log. At first I looked for a duck behind the log but couldn’t see a duck anywhere nearby. Finally I got out the binoculars and saw two turtles slowly climbing out of the water onto the log. By the time I had located my camera there were three turtles sunning on the log.
An airplane flew over and it’s shadow passed over the turtles. The two largest turtles dove into the water but the smaller stayed sitting on the log. A few minutes later I looked again and there were 5 turtles sunning on the log.
I thought about how those turtles had survived the winter buried in the mud in the depths of the pond. Every time I think about turtles and frogs surviving suspended mud in the cold depths I am astonished all over again.
Life is an astonishment to me.
I read that we humans contain more bacteria, viruses, and fungi than cells. Think about that for a moment. Though you may think of yourself as a single entity, you would not be alive without the myriad of life forms you carry within you. My mind’s “I” is not a solitary life form but rather a community of life forms supporting one another.
“We are both astonishments, the closest thing in the known universe to a miracle”
― Turtles All the Way Down
If we humans really truly understood how we are and we need a community of life forms to survive and thrive would we be any more respectful of life? Would we be more thoughtful, respectful, and kind to one another and all of life?
Everything is connected. It IS turtles all the way down.
Try thinking about yourself as a community of life forms for a day, or even just for a moment. Would you do anything differently?
May you walk in beauty.
Sic transit tulip. I made one last photo and then put the tulips in the compost bin.
New ranunculus blossom is open
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