The nature and extent of what’s possible

Reflecting on this single point of light emerging from the darkness, I think about the Big Bang or Big Breath and connect it to the notion that from nothingness the universe burst forth into “pure potential.”

To see what I might have on this subject, I went to my Vision For Television database. Not surprisingly there were many references to the word “potential,” among them the phrase containing the quote by physicist Amit Goswami that sparked further research.  He wrote “The universe is pure potential, waves of possibility. The elementary particles, the atoms, all the way up to the brain, are waves of possibility, not actuality. We, as observers, are required to choose (scientists use the term “collapse”) actuality from possibility.”

The significance of an observer determining what’s real derives from a paradoxical thought experiment by Erwin Schrodinger, who showed that a cat in a box with a capped vile of poison is both living and dead—until the box is opened and the cat is observed. The moment of observation collapses potential into a “reality,” such that only one of the possibilities becomes actualized. Quantum physicists are still exploring aspects of his experiment, but the notion that the universe is pure potential, waves of possibility until we choose what is actual, mysterious as it is, holds up. From my perspective it adds weight to the idea that consciousness is fundamental to the universe.

Dictionaries vary on the definition, but they share the general idea that a “potential” exists as a possibility that something can be actualized. Manifested. Michelangelo famously said that he cut away the parts of the block of Carrara marble that were not David. He actualized the potential he saw in the stone. Matter has potentials. The ones that realized are those in the mind of a beholder.

The more complex the object or system, the greater its potential. For instance, a computer has enormous potential compared to a typewriter. Their potentials are latent until someone uses them. Even in the case of artificial intelligence (AI) softwares, what is realized of their potentials is a function of the operator’s intention and action. The same tool can be used to build or  destroy.

Tools also differ in the nature and the extent of their potentials. A gun for instance, has a relatively limited range of potential; it’s primarily designed to threaten or kill (targets or living beings). An equally complex tool, a hand calculator has vastly more potential, including the exceptionally low possibility of it being used to kill.

To see how potentials are enhanced, imagine two houses on the same street where the families are exact duplicates of each other. The individuals in both families are equal in terms of their potentials for good and evil. When a gun is introduced into the system, say in “House A,” its mere presence enhances the potential for death or disaster by gunfire, irregardless of the gun’s attributes, secure location or condition. By nature, it’s a weapon.

Of course the potential for harm or death by a weapon exists in “House B” as well. Other objects, cooking knifes, poisons and heavy objects carry that potential as well. But the likelihood that someone in House B will be injured or killed by one of them is much closer to zero compared to the family in House A. Household items weren’t designed or intended to be used as weapons.

When it comes to human beings the potentials are unfathomable. It’s said that within all of us there resides the saint and the sinner. There’s a Native American story that speaks to this. A grandmother was teaching her grandson about life and the world. “A fight is going on inside me,’ she said to him. ‘It is a fight between two bears. One is angry, greedy and jealous. She complains about everything. She thinks she knows better than anyone and puffs herself up. The other bear is filled with joy. She is grateful for all that is given, accepting it as it is given. She is kind and generous. Her manner is humble and gentle. As you can imagine, the two bears are constantly fighting. It is a fight that is going on inside of you as well,’ the grandmother said. “It is going on inside all human beings.” The grandson asked, “Which bear wins?” His grandmother leaned close and said, “The one you feed, grandson.”

Indeed, the potentials we feed are the ones that become actualized in our lives and in the world. On the positive and constructive side, voices in many areas of human endeavor have addressed the subject of human potential. I let them speak for themselves.

Evolution then is the grand adventure of matter exploring its own innate potentials: from its first appearance after the big bang—from the first atom, molecule, and cell—to the magnificence and glory of the human brain. The greatest unfolding of evolution is literally the story the universe is telling to itself. 

Christian DeQuincy, Philosopher, cosmologist

Light is energy and it’s also information, content, form, and structure. It’s the potential of everything. 

David Bohm, Theoretical physicist

Free the child’s potential, and you will transform him into the world. 

Maria Montessori , Physician and philosopher of education

That society is good which fosters the fullest development of human potentials, the fullest degree of humanness. 

Abraham Maslow, Psychologist

When driven into far-from-equilibrium conditions, systems do not just break down, they generate new structures that pull higher forms of order out of the surrounding chaos. It is as if nature reaches into herself and draws forth structures that reflect the inherent potential of the system for higher orders of self-organization. 

Duane Elgin, Author, system’s theorist

Our mass media are only a poor shadow of what they could be—not for lack of technology, but because of our imperfect understanding of their potential power. 

Hazel Henderson, Economist, futurist

Every work of art that does not cause God to be felt misses the true potential of art. 

Alex Gray, Artist

Individual success depends on environments that trigger the fulfillment of our genetic potential. Environments that motivate through fear literally shut down the potential for growth. Those that motivate through vision, open us up to express unforeseen possibilities. 

Bruce Lipton, Biologist

With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.

Dalai Lama

We’re all equally divine, but we’re all at different stages of actualizing our divine potential. The fullest expression of our divine potential is to be someone who helps others actualize their potential. 

Gordon Davidson, Leadership and social investment consultant