If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound?

It was a question they would ask us when we were children, and it seemed very silly. Of course, it makes a sound! And if no humans are around, at least random squirrels and birds would hear it. I was sure of this answer as a child, and I was considered brilliant. My Polish grandmother used to call me the “little professor” in that accent she had, and in first grade, they would put me in with the fourth graders for lessons. The problem is that children have more neurons than experience, with a ratio that is even worse than a twenty-six-year-old man. Now that I’m older, I’m less confident and wonder if the tree can even fall without me walking up and seeing it on the ground. That is not to say that it can’t fall for you, but your reality and the path you take to get there are way different than mine.

So what part does each human consciousness play in bringing about that person’s reality? What about the squirrel? Such has been my exploration over these last few years, and Matt Miller’s dreams have paid the price for these explorations. A new question for you! A digital projector plays in a movie theater, and no one is around to watch. Has the movie played? I’ll let everyone think about this while I go off and write another chapter.