The Delight of Mysteries
Mysteries are the muse of curiosity — and I submit that curiosity predates human intelligence and pervades the condition of life.
How do I get from point A to point B, for there is sustenance at point B? What high plateau shall I frequent in order to encounter the highest assemblage of potential mates? Which rocky crevice is unoccupied and might offer me shelter from predators? When shall I go dormant to await the return of better environmental conditions?
Indeed, every moment of life is a puzzle with alternative solutions to be solved by an earthly organism. Even plants must contend with which angle to tilt a leaf, or which direction to creep a tendril to get around to better water and light. You don’t need a nervous system to encounter a physical problem and desire to arrive at a solution.
If you allow this whimsical philosophy, you as a human might find a great sense of kinship and empathy with all life. To know that supposedly civilized actions like scheduling the best time for a Zoom meeting for your project committee, or choosing which used car to buy for easier pandemic errands, or adjusting the percent monthly contributions to your Roth IRA — are not much different than the daily problem-solving to-do’s of bacteria, oregano, or Asian giant hornets. We all inhabit the same who, what, when, and where.
As for the “why” — well, that is the real mystery, isn’t it?
