Independent and Incidental

 

"Each cell leads a double life, an entirely independent one, belonging to its own development alone; and an incidental one, in so far as it has become part of a plant." - Matthias Schleiden, a botanist

"Both plants and animals were similarly organized - each an aggregate of fully individualized independent beings." - Theodor Schwann, a zoologist

-Sometime in 1830s, on discovery of cells in plants and animal life.

*

Perhaps something like the conical stones in adobe. Free to move independently, yet entire structure held by the elastic matrix.

One wonders whether free will and randomness work together like that. Independent and Incidental beings. Free within an elastic range which ensures integrity of the entire structure. So perhaps predetermination is of the matrix. The will is still free, in terms of moving up and down the scale of light to darkness, perfection to mess. Perhaps we settle somewhere at imperfection, a perfectly lovely mess. And we all keep striving towards perfection, some ideal, our inner imperative.

Perhaps.