I am in awe of how much of my lifetime so far I have spent thinking about, and acting on, what little of the vast, unimaginably grand and awe-inspiring universe I can see. Yes, it matters to me, my circle of friends, my species, and even perhaps my planetary home. But when you try to imagine the scale of these issues and accomplishments from the point of view of the universe, which is known to be 13.7 billion years old, and then wonder in utter awe what existed 14 billion years ago, or even 20 billion…
How do we know that the Big Bang was the beginning of time? Don’t get me wrong, I am wholeheartedly convinced that it happened, but the state of all matter before it can’t have come from nowhere, can it? Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, leaving me wondering what existed before THAT universe (or whatever it was at the time) collapsed into the size of the nucleus of a single atom. What caused it to collapse? Will our universe eventually arrive a similar fate? I think it’s safe to assume that if it ever does collapse again, no one alive today will still be alive when it happens. But to say the least, it’s interesting to ponder.
With all of this said, I am amazed – and infinitely inspired – by the comparison of our petty, momentary, insignificant worries and arguments to this incredible, but oh, so real universe and its history. What little we do know leaves me so humbled and awestruck that the thought of what we don’t know makes me feel completely grateful that I have stopped believing in a book that claims to answer everything.
This is not, not and NOT a jab at said book (the Bible), or the religions of the world. Hope can come from many places, and I mean no harm to any of my religious friends. My only wish is to share this feeling I have, this truly wonderful, HOPEFUL feeling that there’s so much more to existence, life, space and time than meets the eye.
Here is one YouTube video that opened my eyes to the universe:
A Ripplistic Blog 