«The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious» - Albert Einstein.
Einstein did more than anyone before or since to demystify the workings of the cosmos. His contributions to human understanding of matter in motion, of gravity and of quantum effects endowed him with a mystical quality in the minds of many people. His discoveries led us directly to the modern world with its lasers, computers, mobile phones and nuclear energy. Mystery to Einstein was something to be confronted and elucidated. The mystery that scientists are interested in is not of human origin. It is a problem posed by God; a test for human ingenuity; a puzzle to be solved.
As Christmas approaches, other mysteries grab our attention. (Like why I can't get hold of a Wii for love or money). Adults may remember how delightfully mysterious Christmas used to seem. As an adult, it's possible to remember how you felt about Christmas when you were small - it's just not possible to feel it any more. The mystery was an indescribable mix of fantastic other-worldly beings - a kindly man who visited every child in the world in a single night; a child born under a magic star; parties and family gatherings; fun in the snow and so on. Everyone has their own version.
The Church used to be good on mysteries of this type. Those majestic words in the gospels - «And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid» (Luke ch2, v9) - written in archaic English, have a poetic mystery to them that is utterly lost in the new version. Understanding what the words
mean is quite beside the point: it is the context in which they are given that gives them their power. In abandoning the King James version, the Church has thrown out one of the pillars on which its influence rested.
Wolfgang Pauli, the great quantum theorist once said «I know too much». As he got to know more about his corner of the world, new ideas were harder to come by - not because they were exhausted but because he was.
The Impressionist concludes that there are two types of mystery in the world: one type is there to be explored, analysed and illuminated; the other type should remain in shadow, to be taken out of the cupboard every so often like an old toy and enjoyed.