Becoming Through Becoming
One foot after another, into the unknown. So it is with the Walking Onion, a visual example of reflection, fractaling, unfolding, and the process of becoming. It starts as what appears to be a simple pattern, then it fractals out into self-similar structures, mirroring itself out into unknown terrains.
"Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid. Come to the edge, he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew."
The Walking Onion is an amazing, little known plant that will literally start walking if allowed. This plant is basically a regular onion except that instead of flowers and seeds it produces topsets which are clusters of miniature onion plants (although it does occasionally produce tiny flowers). These topsets while attached to the mother plant will grow, and as they mature they will eventually cause the mother plant to bend, which allows the topsets to root and start the whole process all over again, albeit with more complexity than before. One foot after another.
"The fact that we can never fully know reality is not a sign of the limitation of our knowledge, but the sign that reality itself is incomplete, open, an actualization of the underlying virtual process of becoming."
In observing this plant its fractaling nature becomes obvious, the mathematical relationships that take place to produce its self-similar patterns. The topsets are simply an extension of the mother plant, a repetition of a pattern, but that now has the opportunity to spreads and extend into unknown areas. The Walking Onion while tasting incredible shows itself to also be an incredible teacher as it is a visual representation of the cyclical nature of existence.
"The core of reality is not being (which is an intellectual abstraction) but becoming which is the key characteristic of all, including God. The universe is a welter of endless change, as we and all around us reach the present as the result of the choices we have made, the choices creation has made, and the God-infused lure toward innovation, creativity, and righteousness that is always inviting us toward goodness."
Everything reflects, fractals, unfolds and gets caught up in this process of becoming, moving into new environments, displaying new and creative ways of becoming on this journey into the unknown. Fractals are quite literally everywhere. The Mandelbrot set visualized is one beautiful example of how much complexity can be created from a few set of simple rules.
