Too Beautiful To Be False
Have you ever encountered an idea so beautiful that you thought it must be true?
Paul Dirac, considered one of the founders of quantum mechanics, pursued beauty. He worked from the conviction that "God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world." It is said that he would sometimes sit and play with beautiful math equations; with this focus on beauty, it is little wonder that he is credited with discovering "the most magical equation in physics," now known as the Dirac equation.
“This result is too beautiful to be false.”
Like Dirac, I have pursued elegant design solutions throughout my visual arts and engineering career. Discovering a simple solution to complex problems always feels like the "right" solution. A convoluted design might satisfy the momentary need, but it never feels good, and you're left thinking there has to be a better way. It's the Transcendental way of thinking: true things are beautiful, and beautiful things are true.
Earlier this week, I was reading The Naked Now by Richard Rohr and came across an idea that lit my designer brain on fire. In speaking about the unspeakable, holy name of God (Yahweh), he writes the following:
"This unspeakability has long been recognized, but we now know it goes even deeper: formally the word was not spoken at all, but breathed! Many are convinced that its correct pronunciation is an attempt to replicate and imitate the very sound of inhalation and exhalation. The one thing we do every moment of our lives is therefore to speak the name of God. This makes it our first and last word as we enter and leave the world."
I've been a Christian for a long time, and I've never heard of this idea of breathing God's name. Is it true? I don't know, but it rings true in my soul.
What if when God breathed into Adam, he breathed his name, and humanity has forever since been speaking it back to him with every breath? Billions and billions of people are all pointing to their creator—most of whom have no idea they are doing it, and some of which even deny their maker's existence—and the only way for them to stop proclaiming Him is to cease breathing.
It is a design so beautiful, so poetic, so deep, so full of meaning and imagery that it must be true.
