Pondering the Universe

What are things?

Things are divided into different categories: everythings, somethings, and nothings. This three-part division of things is based on the spaces in which things reside; a thing is defined in terms of its spatial boundaries.

What is space?

Space, as it is described herein, is not limited to a single physical (three-dimensional) space: it may be multidimensional (an arbitrary number of dimensions) or even a conceptual space. The dimensionality of the space is assumed to be equivalent to the objects in it: for example, four-dimensional space is necessary to contain four-dimensional things.

Three things

When we speak of the subjective and objective experience of the physical universe, we can further divide subjective into perceptual and conceptual parts. In this respect, three things are created, which we may call universes. The resulting parts are made up of references: the conceptual universe refers to the subjective universe, which in turn refers to the physical universe.

What are references?

References form the basis of universes: the division between one universe and another similarly divides the referrers from the referents. The subjective universe contains references to the objective universe. From our subjective point of view, references are responsible for perception. From the objective point of view, references are physical things. This dual characteristic of references is what makes them exceptional, and what makes the boundaries between universes composed of references so peculiar.

Numbering things

In our universe, there exists one everything, many somethings, and exactly zero nothings.

Everything

Everything refers to every thing, combined together. Although everything is often times conceptualized as a single unit, it is easier to regard it as something that is neither singular nor plural (the concept of singularity requires the concept of plurality).

It is difficult to imagine everything as there is nothing from which to distinguish it. We can draw a circle around it to help visualize it, but this is a misnomer as everything, by nature of its definition, would be unbounded: no boundary could be present if everything was accounted for.

Hence the expression, “It is difficult to think of everything.”

The Whole Enchilada

Everything, otherwise known as “the whole enchilada,” cannot be defined. It is impossible to say what it is, and impossible to say what it is not. Everything was initially whole and without parts and without the lack of parts.

Ingredients

The ingredients of everything occupy every position in all dimensions which are attributed to it.

It is difficult to define everything since there is nothing to which it can be compared (other than itself). Definitions are always given in terms of other things, so it is impossible to define a thing for which there is no other thing.

Pondering the Universe (2014)

Shenn

A short story

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Erica.

Erica was considered by her parents and relatives to be a precocious child. Having read most of the books in her local library by the time she was twelve years old, she found herself disenchanted with life.

“Human beings often times prefer adversity, without which they would have nothing to examine. This is the reason for mental anguish.”

Wondering what life would be like without mental anguish, without the constant, infernal internal dialogue constantly hammering at her brain and wreaking havoc on her insides, Erica thought about the nature of everything (as described above) and an epiphany presented itself to her conscious mind:

“What if I forgo my subjective perception of the component parts of everything and instead focus on everything?”

But how does one focus on everything without ignoring other things? (such as buttering one’s toast in the morning or pouring oneself a cup of orange juice)

Erica started to realize how difficult it was to think of everything.  So, she sat on her favorite rock, trying diligently not to think about the rock, but rather to think of the rock as part of everything. Then she tried not to think of parts, but rather things as the summation of parts. Then she tried not to think of summations, as conceptually they could be considered things, which are constituent parts of everything.

In order to think of everything, Erica thought to herself that she would have to focus on nothing. But thinking of nothing is difficult for every time you think you’re thinking of nothing, something pops into your head.

Erica began to wonder if it was possible to think of everything or to think of nothing and concluded, after taking some aspirin for her headache, that it was impossible for the human mind to conceive of everything or of nothing.

And, thus, the nature of human existence is mental anguish. Without mental anguish, human beings could not think. If human beings could not think, they would cease to exist.

Erica was not entirely excited by the notion that she was held hostage in a physical vehicle, a constituent part of the physical universe incapable of thinking of everything or of nothing, but what could she do? 

There was no way to turn off her brain, at least, no way that she knew of. Even dreaming wasn’t turning off her brain for she often times dreamed of strange or bizarre Echer-like versions of her life and thoughts. Never in her sleep did she dream of everything or of nothing. She might forget her dreams, but forgetting and nothing are not the same thing. Of course, she could not verify this thought because she could not think of nothing and therefore had nothing against which she could differentiate the experience.

Erica decided that for as long as she was held in human form, that she would do her very best to slow down the thoughts that divided her mind from the concept of everything and of nothing and as she grew older used this thought experiment as a basis for relaxation.

“At first there was nothing and then it blew up.”

At first there was everything and then a whole lot of somethings and no nothings. And while there may have been and while there still may be everything, no human being can conceive of it. And while there may be a nothing, no human being can conceive of that, either.

So, human beings can only think of parts, of somethings. That is what human minds do. They are the processors of somethings. Human beings exist in a world of somethings. Human beings are bound by somethings. Human beings are somethings.

With that, Erica decided to think about something else.

The End