Alternate Realities

What does proof consist of really? Trial, no

error. A lived experience and the impressions

gained leading to a convincing argument.

In science there is conjecture and hypothesis

theory and the genius of advanced thought

as in educated guesses that impress and

urge the thinker to find ways to prove what

they believe by research, experiment and

analysis. That done, there is the additional

demand of reproducibility. And finally of

course, peer review once the theory has been

proven and it is felt that this particular science

has been 'settled', accepted as the very last word.

Take the human condition and the science of

endowed personality. In folk wisdom there is

a belief that a woman of fair substance can

change the character of a man imbuing him

with her values over time. For the purposes

of this puzzle imagine a man and woman with

varying beliefs and perceptions sharing a 

common culture. Living in harmony though

occasional disagreement may erupt briefly

while the shared long exposure one to the other 

eventually eliminates the long-held variances

in thought and belief. Add another few decades

and they have once again diverged; his original

beliefs and perceptions now hers and those she

held now fully invested in him. Ask me, I know.