The Universe and The Mind

When I got to college, I thought that my professors would hand me the keys to the universe. I expected them to be able to definitively answer my questions. I thought that we knew so much more than we do. In my opinion, we have not advanced very far beyond the ancient Greeks in terms of what we know about our universe, at least not as far as I think we should have in the expanse of time since then.

Since I graduated, I have continued to seek the answers to my questions. One question, which I believe that many of us share, has to do with why we are here. The closest thing to a definitive answer that I have found for that question is that we are the manifestation of the universe's attempt to understand itself. Consider the following image:

While I am not at all suggesting that our universe fits neatly among many others within the brain of some random organism in an alternate universe somewhere, I do think that it is interesting to contemplate the similarities.

The more I learn, the more questions I have. Is our universe just an illusion? Could it be a hologram of some sort? Is it all just information? These questions seem to fit more readily within the realm of metaphysics rather than astrophysics. That's one of the interesting things about my experience. I always seem to be teetering on the edge, between the physical and the metaphysical, and between the universe and the mind. It is an interesting vantage point from which to contemplate our existence and I am looking forward to seeing where my search will lead me in future.

The Fascinating Universe

What is it about the universe that I find so fascinating? It is its structure. I often find myself wondering what spacetime is made out of, but that question doesn't seem to make sense, and yet the curiosity remains. At very least, it is a personal reminder of how little we know about the universe.

I was conviced that by studying physics and astronomy I would be presented with the keys to the universe by my professors, but it seems that they don't know as much as I had hoped. Granted, their understanding is far greater than that of the lay person, but I am still disappointed. I thought that we were so much more advanced than we are. Some would argue that civilization has advanced by great leaps and bounds since the time of the Ancient Greeks, but I would counter that we have been too caught up in the day-to-day to make tremendous progress in our collective understanding of the universe.

I have this sense that the atmosphere is primed for a grand new discovery, something that will change how we see the entire universe and our place in it. It is just a matter of time. My hope is that the greatest minds will be freed from ordinary every day concerns so that they can concentrate their potential on the questions that will lead us to greater understanding of this fascinating universe.