THE PENNY PROJECT

The opening line of the introduction for the Penny Project began: "This experiment is designed to 'prove' (ha ha)...". For me that epitomises exactly what this project was all about - that at the basic heart of things, it isn't possible to prove anything to a point where one can be 100% certain. How can we as humans know how a penny finds its way onto the pavement? Conventional theories would posit a chain of circumstances leading to one dropping out of someone's pocket, but if you weren't there to actually observe this fall, then you cannot be sure that the chance set of circumstances did not, in fact, occur, and the penny was actually put there by invisible penny demons for purposes unknown.

Just as science - true science, empirical and experimental - can say virtually nothing about such notions as God, perception, belief systems or experience, neither can a human being say anything about what might be termed objective, emic reality (realities) existing outside the minds or experience of any human observer.

Similarly unless directly observed, no one can say definitely that any or all of the posited theories and working hypotheses used in this project are 100% true or 100% false. Who knows, perhaps the Lucky People are out there somewhere, or perhaps it was a convenient fiction to help entrain my brain to look for pennies...

What I've learned is that, at the heart of 'things', nothing can be 'proved' at all. We can only play with experience, belief, faith or whatever else our nervous systems may contain or accept as plug-ins...

********

What is also interesting is recently I got to see the reactions of my colleagues at work to this kind of thing - apparently one of them found this site while I was away on holiday. I came back from my break to find that a penny had been stuck to my desk "so that you can always find a penny each day when you arrive at work". I thought this was a pretty cool idea. Other reactions have included bemusement and even some quite strong negative reactions, with people playing some kind of 'Right' and 'Wrong' game in judging this experiment.

I guess I've learned that some people have a real problem when you dont present them with Right Or Wrong but with numerous neurological options. They seem to freak out and swim back to what is familiar and demand that you do the same - sometimes it seemd that they will go to quite some lengths to ensure that you do this too, with the unconscious aim in mind that they are reassured that everything is conforming to their expectations.

Most people of course, just looked at me with furrowed brows and thought 'hmm, you need to get out more' which is definitely a fair criticism, but some...well they seemed to get really worried by this sort of thing. Strange, but I was glad for the lesson...

********

Despite me giving up the diary and the log, and despite thoughts like those above, it was definitely an interesting project, and with the steady trickle of pennies coming way still, I guess it still goes on.

Just today, actually, I found a penny lying in the grass outside a pub... (6th June 2005!!)

Just today, actually, I found a scrappy penny lying in a puddle in the road. I'm not proud... (31st August 2005)

********

SOME STATS FOR YOU

From the start, throughout and until it fizzled out at the end, I was never quite sure what I would 'achieve' from this project, or if I would achieve anything. That's the nature of exploration - you don't really find much out that can be reported, but the experience itself is the goal.

Now who was it who said "The Journey is the Destination"?

Well, for those of you who really want to know here are some statistics gathered along the way. These are for pennies during the specific diary period which ended on 10th March 2005. Draw your own conclusions:

Total Pennies Found : 44

Location
Pennies found in the Blue Zone : 8
Pennies found in the Red Zone : 13
Pennies found outside the zones : 23

Hypothesis
No Hypothesis: 8
Selective Attention Hypothesis: 3
I Will Find A Penny Hypothesis: 1
Coincidence Hypothesis: 5
Penny Magnet Hypothesis: 10
Lucky People Hypothesis: 20

********

The winners are therefore The Lucky People in 1988 outside both red and blue zones! Hurrah!
Obviously, that's what I shall be believing in the future. The stats tell me so!!

********

Well, that's the end. You didn't expect some kind of solid Right Or Wrong conclusion did you? Some kind of "Well, I have proved it, actually. Pennies come from Penny Heaven" thinking that I would dissect and analyse into a thousand shards and prove that quantum reality means everything/nothing/other to human consensus realities?

It was already set out at the start - what the Thinker thinks, the Prover will prove - and that I would simply explore this. Simply use one apparently 'objective' event (the finding of pennies) to explore my own belief systems and those around me. Nothing more. To go beyond that would be getting into the whole 'Right' and 'Wrong' field of mistakes that would basically invalidate the experiment and close my eyes to the subtle ideas behind it.

So all I can basically say to finish up is: It was a good trip.