Rock Soup

To see how imaginative man can get about outer space watch 'Star Trek'. I have been fixated with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Data, Commander Riker and whole ensemble cast of the Star Trek - The Next generation, for some time now. Check it out- in the last episode of the season one gets to see Jean-Luc and Q (who is an omnipotent being in the series akin to God) at the scence of the beginnings of life on Earth. They stand near a volcanic cave, apparently 2.5 billion years back, and point to a puddle of "goo" which contains as stated by Q, "the first time amino acids combine to form proteins on earth"

To quote,

"You see this? This is you. I'm serious! Right here, life is about to form on this planet for the very first time. A group of amino acids is about to combine to form the first protein. The building blocks of what you call life. Strange, isn't it, Jean-Luc? Everything you know...your entire civilization...it all begins right here in this little pond of goo. Oh look! There they go. The amino acids are moving closer...and closer...and closer! Awwww! Nothing happened! See what you've done?" 

- Q, explaining to Picard how life on Earth never formed because of the anomaly

Couple of days back I surprised myself by thinking about the origin of the universe. Now, I am nowhere even close to the proponents of the Big Bang theory and other astrophycisists but then doesn't one have the right and obligation to think about problems that don't have fixed solutions and try to come up with a theory to satify oneself? It is said that Aristotle ,one of the first scientific minds in humanity, thoerized that matter is made up of five element types- fire,earth,water, air and ether. He said that these elements have their rightful place and matter moves towards these "righful places". He explained the rising of smoke, the sinking of bodies in matter, the falling of rain with this theory. We know this theory to be ridiculous today but what is important is that Aristotle thought about and solved the problem to his satisfaction.

Anyway I am digressing. I lay in bed as I thought. Time and Space are infinite. Consider a time billions and billions of years ago, when there was nothing but empty space, when complete pitch darkness filled the universe, there  would be no reference by which to define this existence. It is only when there is "something" in this pitch black space that time actually begins. In other words, my definition of t=0 would be when "something happens". Here I am talking of Change. Change is the quintessiential basis of life and non-life. If the whole universe would freeze right now, suspended in a state of permanent statis, time for me would end because I only think of time from one change to another. Time would have no meaning for me in a state of complete statis. 

So what is change? It is a conversion of one form of energy to another. Any conversion, however trivial, would consitute a change, an "event" so to speak. The energy of the universe is of course, constant. Energy can not be created out of nothing and neither can energy be destroyed. So if there was ever a period of time when the universe was nothing, a pitch black space then where would the energy be? I felt that energy would have to be in this darkness, in this nothingness. If there is intrinsic energy (due to mass) in every matter, then shouldn't there be energy omnipresent in this nothingness. It makes me think of the idea of "Force" that the Jedi knights in Star Wars are so fond of talking about. 

"And well you should not. For my ally in the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. It's energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we...(Yoda pinches Luke's shoulder)...not this crude matter. (a sweeping gesture) You must feel the Force around you. (gesturing) Here, between you...me...the tree...the rock...everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship! "

- Yoda explaing the nature of the force to Luke,Star Wars - A New Hope

Ever since the beginning man has always found a strange solace is talking about an ever pervading power, sometimes calling it ether, sometime a force, or sometimes simply God. The Indian gurus in talking of their  enlightenment say that the experience of enlightenment is a "feeling of life in all objects - animate and inanimate" or an expression of "unity of all people...that we are all the same, the same being" also go back to the presence of this energy. 

There are example of scientists who having tried explaining the origin of the universe with the theory of evolution and others, have utterly failed and finally came back to idea of a "maker", be it God or an alien species.  It is my belief that such a force, such a field of omnipresent energy indeed does exist, manifest in every thing - living and non-living, that the purpose of everything is change - for without it there is nothingness and that the living beings are nothing but instruments of this change. Consider this - all living beings do is consume Oxygen, Water and Carbohydrates and with the process of combustion convert this energy into locomotion, running, talking, thinking etc. So in effect, all we do is convert energy to bring about change. 

Anyway all this is theorizing and I have no proof for all this. But it makes sense to me now and that is what is important. Hopefully someone in the future finds a way of quantifying and measuring this mysterious energy. Till then, I will satisfy myself by watch Star Trek and you should too!