This is what Paul Lockhart writes in [[The Mending of Broken Bones]]: "When we find ourselves deep in the jungle, our vision is often impaired — obscured by the very trees and vines we are interested in studying. These are the details and the particulars. To understand the lay of the land, we need to gain altitude — to climb a hill of some sort. This hill is igenerality. The more abstract and general our patterns and ideas, the more they encompass and the more they allow us to see. What we gain is perspective, and that is a rare and precious commodity. This can sometimes be a fairly difficult climb, but the view is always worth it." As he notes: "Mathematicians are addicted to altitude. The greatest height reveals the greatest depth, and the feeling is intoxicating." He even goes so far as to call it a psychedelic drug, a form of escapism that removes us completely from the world of everyday life. It's interesting that he thinks of psychedelics in this way, since psychedelics often have the opposite effect - immersing ourselves more deeply in the world.