Resisting the Objective View.

I was sitting alone in the mediaeval churchyard today, soaking up the warm spring sunshine and sinking into the peace that imbues such places. I looked around at the familiar scenery - the mediaeval masonry worn and weathered by the centuries, the massive, ancient yew tree that might well pre-date the present 14^thC church, the many-shaped headstones in greys and browns, some of them standing at alarming angles but standing yet, and the fresh young daffodils springing in riotous profusion, oblivious to their wanton precocity in such a time-honoured place.

My eye was caught by a show of primroses growing in a group by one corner of the church wall, close to where I was sitting. I was suddenly and randomly struck by the fact that what I was looking at was a coalescence of primary, vibrating, sub-atomic particles being bombarded by other particles forming the suns’ rays, some of which they were absorbing and some reflecting, for such is the simple explanation for what we call colour. The primrose with pink and yellow flowers and green leaves was, in essence, composed of the same material as the stones, the trees and my own body. It’s just that my brain is wired and conditioned to see it as something different.

Pity, really. I rather like the subjective version.