Approaching the perennial questions
A mind game that has enhanced my appreciation of the scope of the universe began when, on a clear day somewhere in the 60s, I sat on a park bench overlooking the Ohio river. Having recently read about laser technology, I pointed an imaginary laser into the sky and wondered how far the beam would travel before it would hit something solid. Practically, of course, this wouldn’t happen because gravity would bend the beam as it neared massive objects and a black hole would actually suck it in. (Being a mind game however, I could change the rules).
Irrespective of my position on Earth and no matter where I pointed the laser—and assuming it would travel in a straight line—there’s so much matter in the universe it would eventually contact something solid. It would never move on infinitely, despite the current estimate that only 5% of the universe consists of solid matter. The picture this painted for me then, was of a universe that had some solidity to it. It appeared to have a boundary. But now, there’s the idea that it does not. The simple act of thinking about immensity generates deep wonder, appreciation and an ever expanding perspective because at both ends of the spectrum, micro and macro, matter vanishes into mystery.
According to physicist Brian Greene, “If the entire cosmos were scaled down to the size of earth, the part accessible to us would be much smaller than a grain of sand.” On the one hand, that unfathomable scale and the awesome beauty it evokes can make human beings, even the Earth, seem insignificant. On the other hand, we experience an inner universe which, according to some spiritual traditions (notably Hindu Vedanta), regards consciousness and matter as One, constituted of pure awareness.
My fascination with immensity transfers to photography, often by pointing my camera up. If I had access to an electron microscope I would likely be photographing down as well. The photograph of these buildings in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio are an example of the former. In contemplating it, I regard their vertical lines as vectors that extend into the atmosphere and then space, indefinitely going, going, and going perhaps to the Big Bang.
Scientists regard that as the origin of our local universe, but if there’s an eternal multiverse as is being postulated by some scientists, there wouldn’t be a beginning or an end. The idea was recorded millennia ago by Indian Vedantists, authors of the Vedas, who saw (and see) the manifest universe as a projection or expression of One consciousness.
The nameless, formless Reality, the transcendent awareness in which you are now permanently awake, is precisely the same Reality that you perceive blossoming around you. Brahman is not different from Shakti. The perfectly peaceful Absolute is not different from the playful relative universe. They are simply not two realities. Nor are they two dimensions of the same reality. They are not even two perspectives. Not two! Absolutely not two!
Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Hindu mystic
(Brahman is pure consciousness or God. Shakti is the fundamental creative dynamism that gives rise to universes).
Given these perspectives, I wonder at the fact that we are creatures who walk on the surface of a magnificent and beautiful planet, while overhead there’s unimaginable immensity there to be witnessed just by looking up. To my way of thinking, it will take the integration of both science and spiritual wisdom—objective investigation and subjective experience—before we can even come close to answering the perennial questions: Who are we? Why are we here? How does the universe work? What does it mean? Are we alone? Is the universe (literally, “one being”) finite or infinite?
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
Antoine de Saint Exupéry, French writer, poet, journalist, aviator
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My other sites—
Love And Light greetings.com: A twice-weekly blog featuring wisdom quotes and perspectives in science and spirituality intended to inspire and empower
David L. Smith Photography Portfolio.com: Black and white and color photography
Ancient Maya Cultural Traits.com: Weekly blog featuring the traits that made this civilization unique
Contemplative Photography 