Section I
Context is Everything
“For me, context is the key – from that comes the understanding of everything.”
— Kenneth Noland
As a person
“On the surface, my life might seem typical. I’ve always thought of myself as a regular guy — routines, quirks, curveballs. Nothing flashy. But beneath that surface is a story marked by loss and resilience, unexpected turns, and quiet revelations.
Family is at the heart of my ordinary life. My wife, kids, and grandchildren fill my days with meaning. I love them deeply and am grateful for every moment we share. I’m also a fan of simple pleasures: listening to music, riding my bike, working out, enjoying good food and red wine, and laughing at life’s little absurdities.”
— me – Being What I’ve Always Been
As a Brain
“As one of the many brains out there, I’ve learned that the human brain is considered the single most complex organized structure in the known universe. I’m made up of about 86 billion neurons forming roughly 100 trillion connections, firing and rewiring around the clock. Even a tiny chunk of brain tissue the size of a pea contains about 1.5 million neurons forming around 15 billion connections. That incredible complexity isn’t just a scientific fact — somehow it’s what enables the feeling of being “me” and the everyday experience of consciousness.
About 70 billion of my 86 billion neurons are packed into my cerebellum, located in the lower back of my brain, as shown below. While the cerebellum is essential for movement and coordination, it’s the roughly 16 billion neurons of my cerebral cortex — all bunched, tucked, and folded — that scientists believe play a central role in conscious experience.”
— me – Being What I’ve Always Been
Far From Perfect
Checker Shadow Illusion by Edward H. Adelson (1995). Squares A and B are the same shade, despite appearing different.
“I can be fooled. I make mistakes. I fall for illusions.
Take the famous visual trick shown here — the Checker Shadow Illusion, created by Edward H. Adelson, a professor of vision science at MIT in 1995. Squares A and B look different, but they’re the same shade. I fall for it every time. By the time this makes it to my consciousness, my perception is laced with expectation — not always with what’s actually there.
It’s humbling to realize how easily I can misinterpret and misrepresent the reality of the natural world in my consciousness.”
— me – Being What I’ve Always Been