The Tao you can name is not the Tao

It is interesting how many things in life I relate to music.

A software design, a photograph, a snippet of code, a building, a bridge; the first thing I notice is my physical reaction. What kind of music do I hear in my mind when I see the thing? I may hear a flute playing a single note, a distorted electric guitar strumming a chord, a brass quartet, or an orchestra playing counterpoint.

Sometimes the music is chaotic, like Mingus or Wagner.

Other times it is smooth, simple, and melodious, like Stan Getz.

But I always feel the notes.

Often, my first reaction to a thing is this sense of it's music, its quality without a name. Even for something that requires deep logical thought, like a software design, my first analysis is always its feel, whether or not all the parts are in harmony, whether the thing as a whole "makes sense."

Sometimes I feel as if I'm going through life like Cayce Pollard in Gibson's Pattern Recognition, just looking at things and passing judgment on whether or not they'll "work."

So, yes. I hear music. Please don't be frightened.