The Great Experiment

 "All highroads of intellect, all byways of theory and conjecture led ultimately to an abyss that human ingenuity can never span. For man is enchained by the very condition of his being, his finiteness and involvement in nature.  The farther he extends his horizons, the more vividly he recognizes the fact that, as the physicist Neils Bohr puts it, 'We are both spectators and actors in the great drama of existence.' Man is thus his own greatest mystery.  He does not understand the vast veiled universe into which he has been cast for the reason that he does not understand himself.  He comprehends but little of his organic processes and even less of the unique capacity to perceive the world about him, to reason and to dream.  Least of all does he understand his noblest and most mysterious faculty: the ability to transcend himself and perceive himself in the act of perception" (Barnett 1948, 109)   

This quote from the same article as my previous post, "Pueblo Style and Regional Architecture,"  struck me this week for its beautiful prose as well as the message contained within.   The quote came as a break in the discussion of the layout of Pueblo villages and caused me to ponder further the concept of Man's quest to find a place to call his own in such a vast world.   It occurred to me that perhaps why part of the reason that defining what it means to be "American"  is so difficult is because of the manner in which each person perceives his/her surroundings.   Existence, and in turn the concept of place are very much tied to the individual and his/her perception.   What is community?  What is America?  Is the former only an abstract concept or a more concrete location?  Is the latter a geographically specified area or a notion which is far more ambiguous?  Different societies have attempted to synthesize the perceptions and dreams of their people to form separate communities and places of comfort, but perception itself makes this difficult.  I was reminded of Anne Hutchinson in reading this quote, as her perception of her own place in the world was vastly separate from that of her community leaders.   Her perception may well have caused her to see her community much differently than her opposition, each believing that their own view would best help create a stronger sense of purpose and central community in their society.   I think that this quote also ties well into our class's own search for understanding.  We are almost, ourselves, attempting to percieve our nation in the act of perception: to see how and why we see things the way we do.  It is a never-ending mystery, but an enlightening quest.