Some things can often seem chaotic from a certain point of view. When I think about theism and our place in the universe, I seem to always come back to a very relatable comparison. I'm an artist and I've worked very hard on learning about creating a compelling story as well as a complete or comprehensive narrative. This means that I have a unique view of creation or being involved in creating other people or places, much like an astrophysicist has a unique view of the required elements for life on a planet by pure observation of what exist outside of our own planet.
The simple fact that we have observable and repeatable physics that tie us to reality is enough to convince a writer that they need to set rules for their story that can not be broken. That's not to say that social rules can't be broken. You could say that there are flukes or exceptions but if you set a universal rule for your story and then decide to break that rule without explanation then you've alienated your audience through confusing, pointless chaos.
If I want to say that planets in the universe are created by life forms of different elements that make up those planets, that these beings continue to create balance on those planets so that they may sustain life, but then decide that there is a planet that they're not aware of and have no connection to, you can say I've broken my own rule. If I later explain that there are other universes and this planet came here from one of the others, then I can work with this idea but there would have to be an explanation for this planet's travel that doesn't break rules that have already been set.
To think of something simpler, if I want my story to have the same laws of physics as our reality, then I have to acknowledge that entropy exist and all things will eventually decay. That means that I can't make people eternal or immortal, I can't introduce buildings that stood in perfect condition for thousands of years without maintenance, and I can't have an apple that stays ripe forever. In order to have things change from reality, I'd have to introduce and establish a unique idea or just something that is meant to break the natural law.
One option is to add magic to the world. Magic doesn't need a complete explanation. It's a concept that is understood as being a mystery, able to defy true understanding and bring excitement. This tool can often seem out of place or unfair. There's a careful balance that has to be implemented in order to keep the audience invested.
To picture what it may be like for a forth dimensional being to create, observe, and interact with a three dimensional world, we can compare it to a third dimensional being doing the same with a two dimensional world. They can hold a lot of parallels but at some point there is a divide. No comparison is perfect unless you're just comparing it to itself but I feel like this one can hit all the major points. The break between the two also tells us a lot about what we're missing in our usual understanding and abilities.
I, myself, can be represented by three separate identities that all belong to one distinct person when creating a story for a comic book. The center me is the physical, three dimensional body that houses the other two but also the one that does all the work. The me on my right is my imagination, made up of my knowledge and how I chose to interact with the story. The me on my left is my experiences, this one is different and doesn't entirely seem to fit in with the other two but it's still there. My experiences can be seen as part of everything I do. Any character I create will be made from my experiences, be them first or second hand. I can't exactly write about something that I've never been exposed to or at least not realistically.
The three parts of myself need a set of drawing tools to get started. While I may have already imagined what I'm going to do, if I don't write it down or start drawing it out, then I haven't created anything. I don't have to start with an outline but it is an effective way to stay on track during the production of my story. I can use a pen or pencil with paper or a computer to write what comes next.
My outline can contain a few basic things if I don't want to rely on my memory the entire time. I need my rules, setting, and characters. While small parts of the setting can change and some characters can be swapped out, for the most part I need these to be fixed, or rather, set from beginning to end. I can choose, for simplicity's sake, to use the same rules as our own universe. This saves me from having to create or explain events by some magical element not seen in our reality. This also means that I've made my own job harder if I write about a part of the our world that I'm unfamiliar with. Because I don't want to create a plot hole, I'll have to keep the scale of the world very small. The setting will be limited to a single town and only focus on a few locations within. Even though the world is very small, there can still be up to one hundred characters. Every character is made up of my experiences by my imagination.
The most important part of an outline involves writing a synopsis. Unless I plan on having a story about nothing, there needs to be a setup, conflict, climax, and resolution. The synopsis gives a summary of the who, what, why, when, where, and how. From the synopsis, I can plan out each episode and when in the series each conflict occurs. This also means that I'll know how the story resolves but that doesn't mean that I yet know all of the details that will happen to lead up to that resolution. It's only when writing each episode that I can select a direction for said episode even though I know how it will all eventually end.
For the first episode, with the outline done, I'll draw a single introductory panel. It can be a picture of the setting or a main character. Either way, I'll open it with a monologue, an internal conversation that the main character may be having for the sake of the audience. The other option, to avoid breaking the 4th wall, is to have two characters interacting with each other, revealing something about themselves.
At some point, this episode is going to have to end. Because this isn't the end of the entire series, I'll have options ready that will lead to the next episode. I'm going to have three different endings but I don't have to decide which one to use right away. I'll let the creative process lead me to one of the endings.
This is the major divergence of the comparison. While I can see the first and last panel of the book before the middle has even been determined, I still have to decide what happens in that middle. I can't give my two dimensional world free will. This may be due to free will only existing beyond two dimensions in the 3rd and 4th dimensional worlds. A fourth dimensional creator, look at the beginning and the end simultaneously, gives their creation free will to decide for themselves what to do in the middle. They can even have possible checkpoints or episode endings at the ready but it's up to the creation to get there.
Forth dimensional beings exist together within the same space, much like how I exist with other three dimensional beings, but only one was needed to create our world. This one being could exist as three identities, much like myself, but they can have aspects that are incomparable to our limited world. You could say that my imagination and experiences are just part of my mind but trying to explain the mind to a 2D person could be quite difficult.
Here is where theology comes in and makes the most sense to me. From the depictions of the Lord, a god or spirit being, in the Christian Bible, they are a single person made up of three identities. There is the main being, the center body that carries out the actions within the 4D space. On their right is the Word, the knowledge of the being that is used to interact with the creation. On their left is the one that's a little different. They are the part of the being that exist inside of everything that was created, known as the Holy Spirit.
While I have to fill in the space between panels, a 4D being can let the characters fill the space themselves. We are given free will to interact with each other. When a 4D being interacts with the 3D space, instead of again controlling the entire situation, they enter our world as a 3D being, the Word. This being can see all possible outcomes of our choices because they exist outside of our timeline but it's up to us to reach one of them.
Part of the confusion or chaos of the perspective is centered around a few similar questions. Mostly, why are things the way they are? This seems like a nonsensical question to me. From a particular angle, the world may seem to be full of disorder, but if you tilt your head just right "metaphorically", you'll see everything lines up. It doesn't matter how the world turned out, the question could always be asked. Why do we have a moon? We could ask why we don't if it wasn't there. This was the design. There are countless factors involved in seeing to that our planet can support the life that grew to ask the question.
"What is truth?"
Thank you for your time.
James D. Gray
Haven E. Lumin
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