the equation ◉

someone tried to write a formula for understanding. reason plus poetry equals insight — f+p=e, written out like it belongs on a chalkboard. and the funny thing is, the attempt itself proves the thesis. the formula is philosophy reaching for poetry. the metaphor that follows it — a philosopher climbing a ladder of experiences into the world of ideas, then holding up a kind of mirror so colored light falls back down to the rest of us — is poetry reaching for philosophy. the equation doesn’t work as math. it works as a demonstration of the thing it’s trying to describe: that neither precision nor beauty gets you there alone. you need both hands.