h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is a natural drive within the human species to find patterns. This is wired into our brains far below the conscious level. When an event happens that seems to violate the patterns that we depend upon for our ego needs, this drive will provide a pattern that seems to include this event. For people with the discipline of scientific inquiry the pattern will follow predictable methods but few people have this discipline. Others without this discipline in a jumbled way make the same attempt and end up with conspiracy theories. It doesn't mean they are necesarily wrong.

Pattern making derives from a mental framework based upon what a person may have read, been taught, or otherwise been exposed to and without this framework no meaningful pattern can emerge. As a person is exposed to larger frameworks, greater and more inclusive patterns can be built. However just because a person has been exposed to large frameworks doesn't mean they will inherently come up with the best pattern for understanding a situation. Human beings such as we are, will make mistakes.

Meanings for our lives are built upon patterns and as long as our everyday lives remain within these frameworks we will continue to feel safe and secure.