“The world, as seen today, is murky and subterranean.”
— Italo Calvino
Simplified Meaning:
Life today feels confusing and hidden, like what we see on the surface doesn't show the whole picture. Imagine an iceberg; what you see above the water is only a small part, while most of it is hidden underneath. In our world, like that iceberg, many important things are happening out of sight, like behind-the-scenes actions or secret decisions that shape our lives. This makes it hard to understand who controls or influences what happens around us. For example, think about how social media works. We see posts, pictures, and videos, but we don't see the algorithms that decide what we see or the data collected about us. It often feels like there are secrets and complexities we're not aware of, making the online world seem foggy and unclear. To deal with this, it's important to stay curious and ask questions, trying to learn more about what's really going on. By doing this, we can make better decisions and not just accept things at face value. Recognizing that there's more beneath the surface helps us navigate the world more wisely.