Light on Leaves

Elementary,my dear Watson

Sherlock Holmes never said it. But when he solved the mysteries it always looked a easy and elementary job.
Didn't it ? That is the strength of observation and deduction. Holmes methodology as all the fans of the character will know were based on scientific analysis ,observation and deduction . Just by looking at the soil of the shoe of the person he could tell about the place from where he came. He could deduce(note the word) the past of the person just from the physical features of the person. He could judge the profession of the person looking at the shape of the hands.
"By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt-cuff - By each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent inquirer in any case is almost inconceivable."
The following quotes demonstrates his belief in power of reasoning ,observation and scientific temperament.
"When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
"You see, but you do not observe."
"I never guess. It is a shocking habit -- destructive to the logical faculty"
"One true inference invariably suggests others."
Many times it was the simple observations and points that helped him solve the problems. For eg, in The Engineer's thumb he could fix the place of crime by observing that horse (for the horse carriage) used in the crime was fresh(ie had not gone for a ride). In other story from the observation that dogs didn't bark the concluded that the crime was done some acquaintance.
On the other hand stands the character of Miss Marple created by Agatha Christie. She was a old spinster. She was not a professional detective as SH but as good as anyone in the job. Whereas SH relied on scientific analysis for solving mysteries ,Miss Marple was helped by deep understanding of human characteristics. She studied the characteristics of her suspects to help her solve the problems. She was also a keen observer of human nature. So her methods employed more psychology and less science. Both SH and Miss Marple had the same aim ,to find out the truth about the crime but different approaches to solve them.

Siddhartha

"This here," he said playing with it, "is a stone, and will, after a
certain time, perhaps turn into soil, and will turn from soil into a
plant or animal or human being. In the past, I would have said: This
stone is just a stone, it is worthless, it belongs to the world of the
Maya; but because it might be able to become also a human being and a
spirit in the cycle of transformations, therefore I also grant it
importance. Thus, I would perhaps have thought in the past. But today
I think: this stone is a stone, it is also animal, it is also god, it is
also Buddha, I do not venerate and love it because it could turn into
this or that, but rather because it is already and always everything--
and it is this very fact, that it is a stone, that it appears to me now
and today as a stone, this is why I love it and see worth and purpose in
each of its veins and cavities, in the yellow, in the gray, in the
hardness, in the sound it makes when I knock at it, in the dryness or
wetness of its surface. There are stones which feel like oil or soap,
and others like leaves, others like sand, and every one is special and
prays the Om in its own way, each one is Brahman, but simultaneously and
just as much it is a stone, is oily or juicy, and this is this very fact
which I like and regard as wonderful and worthy of worship.--But let me
speak no more of this. The words are not good for the secret meaning,
everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into
words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly--yes, and this is also very
good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this
what is one man's treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to
another person."
Love this very stone, and the river, and all these things we are
looking at and from which we can learn. I can love a stone,
and also a tree or a piece of bark. This are things, and things can be
loved. But I cannot love words. Therefore, teachings are no good for
me, they have no hardness, no softness, no colours, no edges, no smell,
no taste, they have nothing but words. Perhaps it are these which keep
you from finding peace, perhaps it are the many words. Because
salvation and virtue as well, Sansara and Nirvana as well, are mere
words, Govinda. There is no thing which would be Nirvana; there is just
the word Nirvana."
---- Siddhartha ( A novel by Herman Hesse)
For me this paragraph sums up the whole of the book .

Green in California

After silicon it is the turn of green to grow in California.

The Morning Sun