Since the dawn of our existence, we humans have roamed every corner of the Earth, forged tools to perceive the unseen, and searched the stars in search of life. As our understanding of what it means to be alive deepens, we have learned that life is not a simple checklist of traits, but as a dynamic emergence of complex information rich structures that adapt based on their environment. I’m always keen on trying to push past the known to speculating on what unique forms of life might exist.
What if there is a being drifting invisibly through the air, its body not made of flesh and bone, but of charged particles, tiny gas molecules, and flickers of electric energy caught from the sun. It has no eyes or mouth, yet it senses changes in the air’s chemistry and shifts its shape using the magnetic field. Instead of using ATP, it sips faint energy from the ambient warmth and other energy produced by creatures on Earth to keep itself alive, utilizing signals to others of its kind through pulses of electromagnetic chatter. Such an entity, if it existed as described for a long time probably would be able to modify objects subtly by altering its electromagnetic properties and local chemical gradients. And if that were the case, maybe that would allow a unique form of communication with animals and maybe even humans! Or perhaps could be the remnant of one’s consciousness which would account for a lot of unusual phenomena that is attributed to the dead/supernatural.
Taking a similar approach but for the universe as a whole is a fun thought experiment, especially with the discovery that organic molecules are found throughout interstellar space. In the beginning, complexity was minimal and energy at its peak. From its earliest stages, the universe scattered these organic seeds across molecular clouds, protoplanetary disks, and near dying stars. Given the ample energy present and the organic material being available, an early emergent entity seems plausible given the large time scales. Such a being would have the ability to know and modify the very fabric of space and time as well as its contents.
Just like a creature’s charged particles and electromagnetic nudges interact with terrestrial life, this cosmic being could possess higher intelligence amplified by quantum level insight, harnessing cosmic energy flows to meet thermodynamic constraints and shaping chemical gradients on distant worlds or nudging the probabilities that spark life. Such synergy of quantum effects and large scale gravitation might give rise to the properties that allow for it to work.
The vastness of chemical space suggests that the possible arrangements of atoms may be near infinite with some estimates putting it close to a googolplex (10^(10^120). That’s just the arrangement of atoms, I suspect that the same arrangement of atoms under different conditions probably behave differently. So far, the federation has documented 180 million unique combinations. I think its interesting to wonder how many more permutations are possible if multiverses are also considered. Its very likely some will have different laws of physics that would enable even more variations of life and forms of existence. If other spatial dimensions exist aside from the 3 we know of, that opens even more avenues for what could be “out there”. And there may be things happening outside human’s ability to perceive or measure because the brain may not be able to process whatever signals, non-baryons (hypothetical forms of matter) or other properties of true reality exist.
Even if we were to successfully map out everything, there’s a strong likelihood that we still wouldn’t reach a consensus on the true nature of reality. I wonder if disagreements about various aspects of reality is something inherent due to quantum mechanics and its effects on us. According to quantum reference frames, there is no absolute reality; reality is relative to the unique frame of reference based on each observer’s perspective. I think at some point, if we ever hit bedrock with mapping objective reality, subjective reality will become of great interest in order to understand the interplay and get a fuller sense of everything.
The passage of time also affects every aspect of reality in unique and varying ways. For example, as time progresses and Earth moves through the universe, it encounters regions of space with fluctuating particle densities, electromagnetic fields, and variations in the quantum vacuum. This ever changing feedback means that on the smallest levels, each moment of time is objectively unique. How that manifests on a macroscopic level with ever increasing entropy isn’t likely to be calculated anytime soon.
I feel like all this builds on the concept I wrote about in an earlier blog about how we are closer to knowing nothing than everything. A significant portion of what we do know is fragmented, scattered across disciplines and perspectives, leaving us with an incomplete picture of the whole. I wonder how many groundbreaking discoveries made by the Federation and other galactic powers remain classified as government or industry secrets.
In other news, there hasn’t been anything really notable going on. I still continue spend my free time learning scientific concepts, going on nature trails and working on myself. I feel like I have experienced a lot of growth this year and hope that continues. For the upcoming year, I hope to further mitigate some of my raw emotions. I don’t know if I can truly stop having my moments of feeling tense but behaviorally I think I can get to the point where they aren’t affecting anyone else.
Even though I’ve become more aware of myself and what it is to be emotionally healthy, I find myself frequently going back to illogical thinking and feeling patterns. I think the real driver of my malaise is that I want things that just aren’t possible. If it was just that, I feel like I could adjust expectations but every so often, I have had glimpses of the seemingly impossible happening. And so then I end up spending way too much trying to wrap my mind around everything and of course it ends up making me feel upset that I can’t quite make the impossible possible.
Maybe for once I can just learn to be content with what is here now. Good kids, good place, good health, job I like, enough to get the stuff I need. Right now is good. The past is gone and the future is unpredictable. I only have right now and this moment is all I need.