Spock, The Rosie Project and a Black and Blue Dress

What do Spock, the book The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and the internet phenomena of the black and blue dress have in common?

Spock, sadly died today. Ok, I mean Leonard Nimoy, the iconic actor who played Spock. This news displaced the blue/black white/gold dress conundrum online for many. And both remind me of the book The Rosie Project. The link? Logic and Perspective.

I had been wondering how to describe Don Tillman from The Rosie Project. First I thought of an older version of the boy in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. Then I thought of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. But today I realised that he was a modern day Spock (bar the pointy ears).

In The Rosie Project, a witty and oddly insightful love story, we find opposites don't attract, or at least at first. Don Tillman is a man of science and research and ordered process. He plans to find a wife to suit him. How? With science and research and ordered process, or more precisely with a questionnaire. Lots of questionnaires. This story sheds light on some of the thought processes and behaviour of a man in his late thirties, who doesn't know he has Aspergers. Much in the same way we enjoyed Spock's observations in Star Trek we enjoy Don Tillman's view on the world.  We get a whole new perspective of life from someone who engages with the world from a mainly logical context without emotional bias or connotations.

I've always been interested in visual illusions which I consider are good analogies for the importance of context to perspective. Whether it's the Ponzo effect or truth (which I talk about in Perspective: Relativity ), everything seems to be relative.

The black and blue dress then tells us we cannot believe our eyes. Some see it as black and blue and others as gold and white. And its all to do with context. It is what it is only in relation to what we know. We think what we see is there. We couldn't do this even if we all had the same physiological ability to see. And we don't. I wear contact lenses which alter my vision, improving on the quality (which is not as good as some people's and better than others),  trying to bring me in line with the average. I have good night vision and my mother, like many others, doesn't. Many males are colour blind but I'm not. So already we have variations of what different eyes see. And then there is interpretation...what is the context and what does my previous experience make of it?

So much to take into account and so much we can't even see. No we can't always believe our eyed. Again I must concur with Nietzsche, there can be no facts - only interpretations.

The Big Bang Theory of Thinking

The Battle of Sheldon

Sheldon, from 'The Big Bang Theory' stands in front of a whiteboard with his college Dr Koothrappali. They prepare to engage with the physics equation on the board. In silence they start. Rocky's Eye of the Tiger starts in the background. The scene cuts with the music to Sheldon and Koothrappali in different stances eyeing the equation, from standing in front of the table, to behind or leaning on it or upright with arms folded to leaning on a hip or hand to chin in thought. The music continues over the silent battle of wits.

Sheldon's Struggle

Sheldon's struggle with the problem or fight for the answer is an excellent expression of what it means when we as community workers have to give head space and time to an issue. When we just have to think about it. Not talk to someone about it. Not read about it. Not draw diagrams or charts or use calculators or weighing scales. We have to use our brains for the calculations and ideas as illustrations and metaphors, and our conscience and values do the weighing up.

In the Ring

And it can be as exhausting as going 10 rounds with a heavy weight. Your head hurts and your stomach churns. You can't tell up from down and the ring gets smaller the longer you are in it. You want the round to end. Sometimes the bell sounds when you least expect it and other times you are desperately waiting, watching for the signs. You want a referee to come in and break it up. And sometimes its a knockout and as you count to ten...you suddenly become conscious. And you're back in the ring. Back in the game. Able to give the wall of steel that's between you and victory, the killer punch.

Necessary Violence

The only violence that thinking people can advocate, is figurative - where the only battles lost and won are of the mind. Sometimes its quiet and sometimes we hear Eye of the Tiger.

The soundtrack of our lives never lies – listen.