The magic of math
Frequently as I and many of my friends age, I bear witness to statement suggesting that the current generation is not nearly as disciplined, educated, moral or otherwise “wise and saintly as our generation”. I also remember my grandparents and then my parents making similar statement. It seems that every successive generation agonizes about the deficiencies of the younger generation. It is helpful for me to keep these concerns in perspective.
Just this morning I had a note from a friend worried that the younger generation is not learning basic math skills. I was reminded of why I love math so much and why I find it so magical.
When I graduated from high school I had merely learned that math class was a boring exercise in memorizing formulas or tables such as multiplication tables. This math had nothing to do with the fact that I also learned the value of precise measurements and how to measure and cut tile, wood and other material to create intricate designs, to ensure that a house did not fall over because it was not level or straight, to calibrate the setting on spark plugs and a host of other useful skills.
It was not until someone suggested to me that math is simply a language for talking about or describing relationships that I found it magical. I am pretty sure it was a musician who imparted this bit of wisdom. He or she also suggested that music was also a language for talking about relationships. The led to a discussion about systems and how each piece of a system is an integral part of the whole which forms the magic of a building such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, Michelangelo’s statue of David or a Mozart Symphony.
Later I would learn that theology was also a system which attempted to explain how the parts of the universe took care of each other. Psychology was a system for exploring both the internal interdependence and the external interdependence of the human with the rest of the universe. Illness I would learn was a symptom that something in the system was off balance.
The computer on which I am typing is a magical example of how the language of numbers is used to allow me to put words, phrases and sentences together to form poems, essays, or other systems to challenge on to think outside the proverbial box.
Little did I know sitting in the first, or 12th grade classroom that I loved the language of math. Perhaps Mrs. Williams did attempt to teach us first graders the beauty of this language. Perhaps I was not thinking of using the language of math when I learn that 1 plus 1 did not equal two when it came to my relationship with Mrs. Williams. She taught me that 1 plus 3 equals two; that is, she and her fiancé created a couple when, in fact, I was convinced that she plus me would create a couple. I just knew she would wait for me!
I hope that all the young students are learning the magic of language including the language of math. I hope that they are learning to use math to talk about how we humans can better honor the interdependence of all pieces of the universe or even the individual human body.
Written July 21, 2018
Frequently as I and many of my friends age, I bear witness to statement suggesting that the current generation is not nearly as disciplined, educated, moral or otherwise “wise and saintly as our generation”. I also remember my grandparents and then my parents making similar statement. It seems that every successive generation agonizes about the deficiencies of the younger generation. It is helpful for me to keep these concerns in perspective.
Just this morning I had a note from a friend worried that the younger generation is not learning basic math skills. I was reminded of why I love math so much and why I find it so magical.
When I graduated from high school I had merely learned that math class was a boring exercise in memorizing formulas or tables such as multiplication tables. This math had nothing to do with the fact that I also learned the value of precise measurements and how to measure and cut tile, wood and other material to create intricate designs, to ensure that a house did not fall over because it was not level or straight, to calibrate the setting on spark plugs and a host of other useful skills.
It was not until someone suggested to me that math is simply a language for talking about or describing relationships that I found it magical. I am pretty sure it was a musician who imparted this bit of wisdom. He or she also suggested that music was also a language for talking about relationships. The led to a discussion about systems and how each piece of a system is an integral part of the whole which forms the magic of a building such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, Michelangelo’s statue of David or a Mozart Symphony.
Later I would learn that theology was also a system which attempted to explain how the parts of the universe took care of each other. Psychology was a system for exploring both the internal interdependence and the external interdependence of the human with the rest of the universe. Illness I would learn was a symptom that something in the system was off balance.
The computer on which I am typing is a magical example of how the language of numbers is used to allow me to put words, phrases and sentences together to form poems, essays, or other systems to challenge on to think outside the proverbial box.
Little did I know sitting in the first, or 12th grade classroom that I loved the language of math. Perhaps Mrs. Williams did attempt to teach us first graders the beauty of this language. Perhaps I was not thinking of using the language of math when I learn that 1 plus 1 did not equal two when it came to my relationship with Mrs. Williams. She taught me that 1 plus 3 equals two; that is, she and her fiancé created a couple when, in fact, I was convinced that she plus me would create a couple. I just knew she would wait for me!
I hope that all the young students are learning the magic of language including the language of math. I hope that they are learning to use math to talk about how we humans can better honor the interdependence of all pieces of the universe or even the individual human body.
Written July 21, 2018
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