Our Universal Existence in Perspective
Monday, January 25, 2016
The Ramchal (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato) wrote an interesting idea concerning the Kabbalistic view of the entirety of the Universe. He stated that the whole Universe is the effigy of God which is known as Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man). Of course the Kabbalist's have long taught that the macrocosm of existence is wholly contained within the microcosm of existence (I will discuss this later in an article on holography). Considering this idea of the Ramchal it is logical to conclude that each human being, moreover everything in existence, comprises an aspect of the entire body of Adam Kadmon. We each have a role to play in the Universal body be it as a cell, gene, platelet, etc.; it is quite possible to view our own bodily functions as a metaphor for the Divine existence.
Consider that the human brain is a type of
computer called a neural network, composed of about 100 billion neurons,
each of which is connected to, on average, about 7,000 others via synapses.
Neurons are cells that receive process and transmit information within
the brain. Synapses are connections between neurons through which
chemical and electrical messages are transmitted. All these neurons in
our brains, constantly communicating with each other, ostensibly enable
all the functions of our brain, including planning, memory, imagination,
information processing, calculation, simulation, and every other aspect
of thinking.
The human race is like a
neural network. Our planet has almost seven billion people walking around
communicating with each other. We're each connected to thousands of
other humans by relationships, through which we're constantly exchanging
information, energy, chemicals, objects, etc. While neurons and humans
may seem to bear little resemblance, from a computing perspective the
global human network has a very similar architecture to a brain.
This raises the question: if we
are able to think by virtue of our interacting neurons, and human civilization
has the same basic architecture as a brain, then is Earth thinking?
Relationships between people
could be considered a direct analogy to synapses, and the transfer of information
and matter between people could be considered analogous to neurons
transmitting electrical and chemical messages to each other via synapses.
We ourselves are neurons in a planetary
brain. Was Douglas Adams right? Is Earth really a giant computer?
This concept can be extended
outwards, and that the inhabited worlds in our galaxy form another neural
network at a different level of scale. Although I've always believed in extraterrestrials,
I realize the subject is entirely foreign for many people so I will present a
brief introduction to this idea here, hopefully without getting too far
off-topic.
Since Earth is populated by
thinking beings, it seems reasonable to assume that other planets in the universe
are, too. Whether it be by Klingons, Wookies, Pleiadeans or little furry
creatures from Alpha Centauri, it's an idea that has taken hold in human
culture; perhaps with good reason.
Surveys show that more than half
the population, at least in western culture, believe in ET's, even if they
won't openly admit it. However, the more scientifically-minded people usually
assert that:
• There isn't enough evidence
that they exist.
• Nothing can travel faster than
the speed of light, so there's no way they could travel here in a reasonable
time frame.
• Despite years of searching, we
haven't yet detected any coherent radio signals that may originate from
intelligent beings.
• Reports of UFO's and ET's can
always be explained in a more mundane way.
• If they exist, where are they?
Despite these conjectures, there
is in fact an overwhelming body of evidence that ET's have been
interacting with humans all throughout our history. Much evidence can be found
in the tens of thousands of cases of UFO sightings and ET interactions reported
globally every year, including those by pilots, astronauts, radar operators and
many other people highly knowledgeable about aircraft and aerospace. While many
so-called “UFO” sightings may indeed be weather balloons, aircraft and what-not,
there's also evidence that suggests a large percentage of genuine sightings,
perhaps even the majority, are never reported. For example, my wife and I had an
object circling around us in our own backyard, but we never reported it. It was
too surreal and I don't think either of us wanted the ridiculae that would
accompany it.
Now, if we can accept that ET's
are real, then we may also extrapolate that there are indeed billions of
inhabited worlds throughout the universe. What if all these worlds are
communicating with each other?
To most people, it may not seem
like Earth is interacting with any other planets. Perhaps the conversations are
mostly one-sided, i.e. they collect data and information about us but we don't
hear all that much from them; or, perhaps they communicate with us in ways that
we don't yet recognize, e.g. telepathically. Maybe it's just a quiet neighborhood
out here on the rim of the galaxy! However, imagine what it could be like in
the “galactic hub”, the region of closely packed star systems in the center of
the galaxy, where millions of worlds may be interacting via trade,
collaboration, sport and tourism, just like the nations of Earth.
This network of communicating
worlds throughout the galaxy effectively forms another neural network, albeit
one that operates across much larger scales of time and space. In this way we
can see how our galaxy, the Milky Way, may also be a thinking entity, with a
brain comprised of billions of interconnected, inhabited worlds.
I know this section probably
seems a little sci-fi, and may stretch the beliefs of some readers. Take heart
– the rest of the article is more down-to-Earth. You don't need to believe in
ET's to understand my thesis.
Let's go further. If our galaxy
is a conscious, thinking entity, then it would follow that there are billions
of other thinking galaxies also. What if these all these galaxies are
communicating with each other, and constantly exchanging information,
materials, energy and people? This network of galaxies would also form a
neural network.
By extending this idea to
infinity we can see how the whole universe may have a brain and be
thinking about stuff; possibly in a very similar way to how we do.
This is a good way to begin to
understand God in a scientific way. The idea of a “thinking universe” was the
stepping stone that allowed me to accept the concept of an infinite mind without
abandoning logic, reason, observation or science.
Thus, the universe's brain is
composed of billions of communicating galaxies, each with a brain composed of
billions of communicating worlds, each with a brain composed of billions of
communicating animals, each with a brain composed of billions of communicating
neurons.
While these brains at different
levels of scale may appear very different to us – after all, a human doesn't
really look like a galaxy, or a neuron for that matter – this may be a result
of perception. Consider the human body with its myriad chemicals, genes,
cells and other bodily constituents – each individual component of the human
body has its own function and its own domain wherein it interacts with other
bodily components. Consider that one cell in the body may be aware of other
cells and that which it needs to perpetuate its own survival but above the cell’s
is a variety of other body components which the cell is neither aware of nor
does it have the capacity to obtain awareness of. Human beings are as a cell in
the grand scheme of cosmic existence. Our naiveté is in our belief that we are
highly advanced and that we could perceive other life in the Universe beyond
the scope of human characteristics and design. It is quite possible that our existence within
the grand design is as a bacterial growth within a petri dish – unaware of a
greater existence beyond what we can immediately sense through the filters of
our own limited minds.
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