The world is so big

[Magnus]

It is taking some pain growing up realizing that the world doesn´t revolve around you. As a matter of fact, it doesn´t even have your father or mother as its center. You learn to accept that Hugos father could be stronger, and that there actually are other people deciding about cruical parts of your life.

Some time later you start to realize that due to historical wars, at least in the calmer parts of the world, states have been formed. Some are big. Being from Sweden with today nine million inhabitants, I was baffled by countries like India, or China, and still today I have difficulties coming to grips with how it must be living in a country like England/GB or the US. So many people, so many thoughts, so many expressions of human life I just can´t bear the thouht of it. It is like a soup about to boil; all of these people trying to make theyre way through the challenges of life. All these shattered and fulfilled dreams. And all of those disappointments, which tend to break some in the long run, while making others stronger, and more prune to hurt others.

While I was going on baffling about findings like these, I also came to understand that the earth is not the center of everything, nor is the sun. I was told that it takes light eight minutes to reach us from the sun, but i takes light four years to reach the closest star. On top of this our galaxy consist of billions stars, the galaxy itself was just one out of zillions...

And not only will the strange ways of life hit me with massive distances or populations in order to diminish little me. It also takes literally ages as its weapon of minimizing the importance of my existence. I am told that around 10 000 years ago man started the agricultural era. 10 000 years. Wow, that is some time... i mean... my grandfather was born in 1890, he was 49 when WW2 started. Nothing. Then I learned that from a geological point of view, 10 000 years was nothing to even bother about. Give us a 100 000 years and we can at least start talking erosion, and if you look closely, you will be able to notice a movement of tectonic plates. Give us a 1000 000 years, and we will notice some significabnt development when it comes to new species. Give us 10 000 000 years and a whole lot will have happened. But the earth is 5 000 000 000 years old. OK! I UNDERSTAND MY INSIGNIFICANCE, BUT WHY THE EXAGGERATIONS ALL THE TIME???!!! I GET THE MESSAGE!!!

I don´t know what to say more but: It is big and old and complicated out there girls and boys! Take care and do something nice, before time is putting its spell on you, and locks you up in its vast reservoir of nothingness. For ever.

Any more beer anyone?

[J4MIE]

I don't know what you're drinking Magnus but I want some! :D

[tmx]

Actually due to the increasing development of technology and efficience communication we are growing and developing in exponential speed. But due to that resource and food is becoming a big problem, there is only like what? 5% of area in the earth for proper cultivation, but we should be developing new ways such as "tower farming". Scientist say the population will reach 10billions and slowly decrease due to better improving economy, but right now I'm seeing those countries continues to be extorted and stripped off their resources. I don't know what's the problem with Scientist today, they have no moral and ethics and they're too bothers with crap like the higgs particles.

Another world war and we will be screwed, it almost happened with the Cuban missle crisis. This is the age of enslavement by corporate and banks, who controls the entire interest of the government, The Federal Reserve is a private company and does not answer to the US goverment (straight of the mouth of Alan Greenspan). I don't see how it is possible at this stage for the people to loosen from their grip to really advance as a species.

I think Stephen Hawking is right to a point that we need to leave the Earth and expand. Before this we have to really land a person on the moon first, Mars can wait.

Yeah history is interesting, it's not really made important in grade school anymore as I understand. I used to have some crazy neoconservative nut as a history teacher, it's crazy to see how all the student just sat there and listen to them. If I can get a quarter everytime I heard someone says: Why would I care about someone who died a thousand years ago.

[tmx]

I don't know what you're drinking Magnus but I want some! :D It's alcohol.

[leopard]

While I was going on baffling about findings like these, I also came to understand that the earth is not the center of everything, nor is the sun. I was told that it takes light eight minutes to reach us from the sun, but i takes light four years to reach the closest star. On top of this our galaxy consist of billions stars, the galaxy itself was just one out of zillions...

There are two theories to explain your perplexion, Geocentric theory an old theory introduced in 4th century BC or older saying that earth is center of the universe. Heliocentric is a modern theory which opposed to geocentric revealing that sun is center of the universe.

Macrocosm-microcosm is a schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos from the largest scale (macrocosm or universe-level) all the way down to the smallest (even up to the scalemetaphysical-level).

In the macrocosm scale our solar system including the sun, seven planets and their satellites are only minor measurement compared to the bigger substances as the part of the whole macrocosm.

Among those zillion of stars, the sun is the only one useful for human life and any living thing, the rest of it like the moon are decorating the sky, some of them form constellation that may be useful giving the clue about directions.

The sun is center of this universe. :)

[Magnus]

There are two theories to explain your perplexion, Geocentric theory an old theory introduced in 4th century BC or older saying that earth is center of the universe. Heliocentric is a modern theory which opposed to geocentric revealing that sun is center of the universe.

Macrocosm-microcosm is a schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos from the largest scale (macrocosm or universe-level) all the way down to the smallest (even up to the scalemetaphysical-level).

In the macrocosm scale our solar system including the sun, seven planets and their satellites are only minor measurement compared to the bigger substances as the part of the whole macrocosm.

Among those zillion of stars, the sun is the only one useful for human life and any living thing, the rest of it like the moon are decorating the sky, some of them form constellation that may be useful giving the clue about directions.

The sun is center of this universe. :)

Thankyou lepslep, if you excuse me, but my baffling will not stop with this; no matter the explanation, it is still impossible to comprehend, and now I do not even drink beer :)

Besides: we do not know, and just possibly may never know, if there is life elsewhere.

My point is: it is fascinating being part of something which is so complicated/vast/old. But I guess thats why they invented religion in the first place.

Being very interested in math, allthough no being very skilled, I regard math as natures language, as does for example the above mentioned Stephen Hawking(with that littel difference that Stephen has a clue what he is doing). Math in its self provides moments of disbelief and fascination. Just look at Fermats Theorema and Andrew Wiles hunt for its proof, or just plain algebra.

Either way, I know that I am part of something which is just a glimpse in the eye of the history of our universe. With or without Heineken, I find that deeply fascinating.

[Magnus]

When it comes to big numbers: I have heard somewhere that the number of atoms in the universe, which we atm can observe, is aroun 10^64. That is a lot... That means that the number of atoms in total couldn´t be more then maybe 10^65, at most 10^66. The number of elemnatparticles is around 10^80.
There is this number called Googol, which is 10^100. And then you have the googoolplex which is 10^(10^100). That IS a lot. If you used one particle (electron or whatever) fpr every digit, you still couldn´t write it out using every particle in the universe. In fact, you would lack around 100 000 000 000 000 000 000.

Well well, back to work

[Sonic]

Its FAR too early in the morning for this. My head :grenade:

[ChrisS]

When it comes to big numbers: I have heard somewhere that the number of atoms in the universe, which we atm can observe, is aroun 10^64. That is a lot... That means that the number of atoms in total couldn´t be more then maybe 10^65, at most 10^66. The number of elemnatparticles is around 10^80.
There is this number called Googol, which is 10^100. And then you have the googoolplex which is 10^(10^100). That IS a lot. If you used one particle (electron or whatever) fpr every digit, you still couldn´t write it out using every particle in the universe. In fact, you would lack around 100 000 000 000 000 000 000.

Well well, back to work

A few more numbers
Chess has 10^123 possible games that can be played
Go has 10^360

[leopard]

Thankyou lepslep, if you excuse me, but my baffling will not stop with this; no matter the explanation, it is still impossible to comprehend, and now I do not even drink beer :)

Besides: we do not know, and just possibly may never know, if there is life elsewhere.

My point is: it is fascinating being part of something which is so complicated/vast/old. But I guess thats why they invented religion in the first place.

Being very interested in math, allthough no being very skilled, I regard math as natures language, as does for example the above mentioned Stephen Hawking(with that littel difference that Stephen has a clue what he is doing). Math in its self provides moments of disbelief and fascination. Just look at Fermats Theorema and Andrew Wiles hunt for its proof, or just plain algebra.

Either way, I know that I am part of something which is just a glimpse in the eye of the history of our universe. With or without Heineken, I find that deeply fascinating.

Depends on how do you look at this universe and life problem, big and complicated, or narrow and easy. Technology makes border among continent or countries transparent, the sophisticated speed of Concord or Mirage are the answer that distance is no longer a problem. Internet facilitate people around the world meet on screen. Coincidence also, you might meet the same people at different forum, never think of people have the same interest on cranes... ;) . This proves that trying to think simple simplifies all the problem.

We might not need only look at the history of universe from knowledge point of view, as it might need philosophical approach the properer, just because there are some area which is out of human coverage. The more signs of universe such as star and crescent (moon) would always better than only star or any math sign to represent the said comprehensive approach. ;)

[Mark]

Nice post :cool: . It is quite humbling when you sit back and realise how small we all are in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes makes your problems seem small too :)

[Magnus]

Nice post :cool: . It is quite humbling when you sit back and realise how small we all are in the grand scheme of things. Sometimes makes your problems seem small too :)

Absolutely! That is what I try to comfort my customers with now and the: "In a million years or so, no one will care anymore". I find this approach somewhat unsuccesful most of the times though, and they just tend to look angry and keep on arguing about things like vacations and families and other unsignificant issues...

[Mark in Oshawa]

We are nothing, and the only upside to any of this is your point in 10000 years ago man was at the Stone Age plus a few years. Now we have supersonic aircraft, the internet, man has stood on the moon, we have a presecence in orbit, we have biological science breaking down DNA and solving health issues that have plagued mankind for years. We have done so much and despite our propensity to make war with each other at times, we have as a species moved along rather well.

Global warming, regardless of whether you believe man is behind or it or not will be adapted to. The oil economy and its probable finite nature will be adapted and gotten around. The ability to make war at some point will be dealt with.

All it takes is capitalism to be the fuel of human development, responsible democratic government being around to regulate it responsibly ( something that hasn't happened at times in the last few years) without choking it, and letting free people use their inate desire to raise their ambitions and/or pocketbooks create develop the technology and products that will get us around issues that plague us.

We may be very small people on a little planet on a quiet part of one galaxy in the Universe, but we likely are not alone, and we all want a better world for our kids so instead of playing petty politics and games, we should be pragmatic whenever possible and let progress work out issues over time. Political agenda's and hijacking the business world to make them the villians conveniently ignores the fact government has killed far more people than big business.....