foamcup
Jun 6, 2007, 09:25 PM
There once was a huge boulder, perched precariously, on the edge of a cliff.
For hundreds of years this boulder was there, rocking and swaying, but
always keeping its balance just perfectly. But one year, there happened to be
a sever windstorm; severe enough it was, to topple the boulder from its
majectic height and dash it to the bottom cf the cliff, far far below. Needless to
say, the boulder was smashed into many pieces. Where it hit, the ground was
covered with a carpet of pebbles--some small and some large--but pebbles
and pebbles and more pebbles for as far as you could walk in an hour.
One day, after all this, a young man by the name of Ichabod happened on the
area. Being a fellow of keen mind and observational powers, naturally he was
quite astounded to see so many stones scattered so closely on the ground.
Now Ichabod was very much interested in the nature of things, and he spent
the whole afternoon looking at pebbles, and measuring the size of pebbles,
and feeling the weight of pebbles, and just pondering about pebbles in
general.
He spent the night there, not wanting to lose this miraculous find, and awoke
the next morning full of enthusiasm. He spent many days on his carpet of
stones.
Eventually he noticed a very strange thing. There were three rather large
stones on the carpet and they formed a triangle--almost (but not quite)
equilateral. He was amazed. Looking further he found four very white stones
that were arranged in a lopsided square. Then he saw that by disregarding
one white stone and thinking of that grey stone a foot over instead, it was a
perfect square! And if you chose this stone, and that stone, and that one,
and that one and that one you have a pentagon as large as the triangle. And
here a small hexagon. And there a square partially inside of the hexagon.
And a decagon. And two triangles inter-locked. And a circle. And a smaller
circle within the circle. And a triangle within that which has a red stone, a grey
stone and a white stone.
Ichabod spent many hours finding many designs that became more and more
complicated as his powers of observation grew with practice. Then he began
to log his designs in a large leather book; and as he counted designs and
described them, the pages began to fill as the sun continued to return.
He had begun his second ledger when a friend came by. His friend was a
poet and also interested in the nature of things.
"My friend," cried Ichabod, "come quickly! I have discovered the most
wonderous thing in the universe." The poet hurried over to him, quite anxious
to see what it was.
Ichabod showed him the carpet of stones...but the poet only laughed and said
"It's nothing but scattered rocks!"
"But look," said Ichabod, 'see this triangle and that [square] and that and
that." And he proceeded to show his friend the harvest of his many days
study. When the poet saw the designs he turned to the ledgers and by the
time he was finished with these, he too was overwhelmed.
He began to write poetry about the marvelous designs. And as he wrote and
contemplated he became sure that the designs must mean something. Such
order and beauty is too monumental to be senseless. And the designs were
there, Ichabod had showed him [that.]
The poet went back to the village and read his new poetry. And all who heard
him went to the cliff to see first hand the [carpet] of designs. And all returned
to the village to spread the word. Then as the enthusiasm grew there
developed a group of those who love beauty and nature, all of whom went to
live right at the Designs themselves. Together they wanted to see every
design that was there.
Some wrote ledger about just triangles. Others described the circles. Others
concentrated on red colored stones--and they happened to be the first to see
designs springing from outside the carpet. They, and some others, saw
designs everywhere they went.
"How blind we have been," they said.
The movement grew and grew and grew. And all who could see the designs
knew that they had to have been put there by a Great Force. "Nothing but a
Great Force," said the philosophers, "could create this immense beauty!"
"Yes," said the world, "nothing but a god could create such magnificent order.
Nothing but a God."
And that was the day that God was born. And ever since then, all men have
known Him for His infinite power and all men have loved Him for His infinite
wisdom.
http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif
For hundreds of years this boulder was there, rocking and swaying, but
always keeping its balance just perfectly. But one year, there happened to be
a sever windstorm; severe enough it was, to topple the boulder from its
majectic height and dash it to the bottom cf the cliff, far far below. Needless to
say, the boulder was smashed into many pieces. Where it hit, the ground was
covered with a carpet of pebbles--some small and some large--but pebbles
and pebbles and more pebbles for as far as you could walk in an hour.
One day, after all this, a young man by the name of Ichabod happened on the
area. Being a fellow of keen mind and observational powers, naturally he was
quite astounded to see so many stones scattered so closely on the ground.
Now Ichabod was very much interested in the nature of things, and he spent
the whole afternoon looking at pebbles, and measuring the size of pebbles,
and feeling the weight of pebbles, and just pondering about pebbles in
general.
He spent the night there, not wanting to lose this miraculous find, and awoke
the next morning full of enthusiasm. He spent many days on his carpet of
stones.
Eventually he noticed a very strange thing. There were three rather large
stones on the carpet and they formed a triangle--almost (but not quite)
equilateral. He was amazed. Looking further he found four very white stones
that were arranged in a lopsided square. Then he saw that by disregarding
one white stone and thinking of that grey stone a foot over instead, it was a
perfect square! And if you chose this stone, and that stone, and that one,
and that one and that one you have a pentagon as large as the triangle. And
here a small hexagon. And there a square partially inside of the hexagon.
And a decagon. And two triangles inter-locked. And a circle. And a smaller
circle within the circle. And a triangle within that which has a red stone, a grey
stone and a white stone.
Ichabod spent many hours finding many designs that became more and more
complicated as his powers of observation grew with practice. Then he began
to log his designs in a large leather book; and as he counted designs and
described them, the pages began to fill as the sun continued to return.
He had begun his second ledger when a friend came by. His friend was a
poet and also interested in the nature of things.
"My friend," cried Ichabod, "come quickly! I have discovered the most
wonderous thing in the universe." The poet hurried over to him, quite anxious
to see what it was.
Ichabod showed him the carpet of stones...but the poet only laughed and said
"It's nothing but scattered rocks!"
"But look," said Ichabod, 'see this triangle and that [square] and that and
that." And he proceeded to show his friend the harvest of his many days
study. When the poet saw the designs he turned to the ledgers and by the
time he was finished with these, he too was overwhelmed.
He began to write poetry about the marvelous designs. And as he wrote and
contemplated he became sure that the designs must mean something. Such
order and beauty is too monumental to be senseless. And the designs were
there, Ichabod had showed him [that.]
The poet went back to the village and read his new poetry. And all who heard
him went to the cliff to see first hand the [carpet] of designs. And all returned
to the village to spread the word. Then as the enthusiasm grew there
developed a group of those who love beauty and nature, all of whom went to
live right at the Designs themselves. Together they wanted to see every
design that was there.
Some wrote ledger about just triangles. Others described the circles. Others
concentrated on red colored stones--and they happened to be the first to see
designs springing from outside the carpet. They, and some others, saw
designs everywhere they went.
"How blind we have been," they said.
The movement grew and grew and grew. And all who could see the designs
knew that they had to have been put there by a Great Force. "Nothing but a
Great Force," said the philosophers, "could create this immense beauty!"
"Yes," said the world, "nothing but a god could create such magnificent order.
Nothing but a God."
And that was the day that God was born. And ever since then, all men have
known Him for His infinite power and all men have loved Him for His infinite
wisdom.
http://www.pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_wacko.gif