The Chemistry of Illusion
I remember a story about Mulla Nasruddin. In the last days of his life, he became the prime minister of an emperor. Every month or two, he would go to a nearby hill station to rest, to a small mountain bungalow he owned. The emperor soon became puzzled. Sometimes Nasruddin would say, “I will return in twenty days,” and he would be back in five. At other times he would say, “I will return in five days,” and he would take twenty. Finally, the emperor asked, “What is this strange pattern? Why do yo
