“But….what then is truth, if all knowledge is subjective to the learner?” wondered Ben as he and I sat atop our favorite spot. Questions like this were as common as they were expected when Ben and I were together, and more so when we sat atop our fortress of conversation. We have been coming here for years with a seemingly orthodox persistence.  When asked, we told people we came here for many reason. The spectacular view of downtown Denver alit and lights of the surrounding cities dotting out to an infinite horizon certainly afforded one an ethereal experience. We told them we came to find solitude, to escape the confusion of the world, and to enjoy our friendship alone; and while many sympathized with us with a touch of admiration in the eye, the real reason for the frequency had little to do with these excuses. In a society and generation so adverse to any form of ‘deep’, our true reason would have been quickly dismissed with a skeptical scoff.  We came because for some reason while we were seated here above the earth and its’ noisy confusion but below the heavens and their grandeur, we found that our minds were free to wander.  What thoughts spring up in the depths of the subconscious when the noises and confusion of the world are filtered out? The typifying would take too long to define.  We came to our fortress of conversation, which was secretly a water tower, to converse openly about whatever topic, no matter how trivial or complex, sprang up within our inner chasms. This is where learning begins, for the largest part of learning is truly a process of self discovery. Ben and I are only too eager to find ourselves, and so we sat atop the aptly dubbed pinnacle of contemplation, and wondered.

Ben and I have very similar and distinct characteristics, which is probably the reason we have bonded to such a degree.   While neither one of us is content with what we currently know or understand, we have a deep ambition to maximize whatever our capacity may be.  Ben spends his time working so he can travel the world while he endeavors to memorize everything he sees, whereas I bury my nose in books; but despite our differences in approach, we have a common goal.  We do these things not to memorize ideas, concepts, or facts, but rather to comprehend and perhaps even take a grasp upon ourselves. Only through a process of self discovery are we ever able to understand and begin to learn.