Albert Einstein and the Mysterious

Albert Einstein was not a Unitarian Universalist, but his writings often resonate with UUs. Einstein wrote, "The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle."

Leader Resource 5, Rev. Kowalski on Einstein features a brief article on the relationship between science and religion talks about Albert Einstein and his "taste for mystery."

When Young Children Ask "Why?"

The WCUU script for this session plays on the developmental stage when a child will constantly ask "Why?" In fact, when young children persistently ask "Why?" they do not necessarily yearn to solve life's mystery, nor might they even have a specific question. Fielding a parent's query on his website, Dr. Alan Greene says:

[... By] the time children are able to speak in sentences, it sounds deceptively like they mean the same thing we do. This happens at about the same time their curiosity, imagination, and creativity skyrocket.

They begin to ask, "Why?" "Why?!?!" "WHY, Mommy, WHYYYYY?"

I've found that, when I try to answer children at this stage of development with the reason for something, they are left cold. After conversing with thousands of children, I've decided that what they really mean is, "That's interesting to me. Let's talk about that together. Tell me more, please?"