The fine line between the Tangible & Intangible

When I was growing up, there was a strong stipulation towards mathamatics and science. I respected anything that could be proven by science and math and was unimpressed by things that could not.

Now as an adult, I look back and see how narrowly-focused I had been.

Perhaps not everything can be explained by science, or at least science as we currently know it, or indeed science that we as human beings are ever capable of understanding. I do not have all of the answers, but I don't think that matters. What matters is that I am asking questions. What matters is that we all continue to ask questions.

What I'm discovering is that the concept of "absolute" truth is itself questionable. We've all heard that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Now consider that "truth" is also in the eye of the beholder. What is true varies from person to person. What's more, what is the truth in your world today, may not be the truth for you tomorrow. There seems to be a certain elasticity when it comes to one's view of the truth.

Recently, I saw the movie "Contact". I love movies that have multiple underlying themes. The main character that Jodie Foster portrays, Elenor Arroway (Ellie) is an astronomer, whose passion in life is to listen to the noise of space in search of Intelligent Extraterrestial life. Her love for the stars began as a young child, studying the night sky with her beloved father, who died of heart problems when she was 10 years old. As an adult, her excellence in science led to many recognized awards and a successful career. Ellie admits that she needs scientific data to "believe" anything. She meets and falls in love with Palmer Joss (played by Mathew McConaughey), who thinks very differently than she does. He is a highly-regarded, well-respected man of faith, who feels that technology has not really improved lives as much as it has led to human beings feeling more 'empty'.

There is a great scene mid-way through the movie when Ellie challenges Palmer on the existance of God. She argues that as a scientist, she must have the imperical evidence. Palmer surprises her by asking her to "prove" that she loved her father.

Without spoiling the movie, Ellie ends up having an extraordinary experience of space travel, which fundamentally changes her entire understanding of the world. Upon returning from this amazing adventure, she finds herself having to defend the tales of experiences, because she did not bring back any "proof". It is here that the tables turn on Ellie. She now finds herself knowing on a visceral level that what she experienced was indeed profound and must be passed onto the rest of the human race, but cannot produce any evidence to support her claims.

My favorite part of the movie is towards the end, when Ellie exits the hearing. A herd of reporters asks Palmer what he thought of the whole situation. His response was "As a man of faith, I am bound by a different covenant than Doctor Arroway. But our goal is one and the same, the pursuit of truth."

That one statement, to me, sums it up. It does not matter whether science is better than or truer than belief and Faith. What matters is that we keep searching for the ultimate truth, for ourselves and collectively, for the human race.