The Flat Cosmos

When the Earth was Flat

The ancient mariners believed that the earth was flat. This may seem silly to us now but their belief was based on observable fact. When they peered at the horizon it formed a straight line that seemed to stretch to infinity. When ships sailed toward the horizon it seemed to extend before them, endlessly, toward the boundless sky. Thus through careful observation and the understanding of their time they concluded that the earth was flat.

As knowledge grew and old superstitions were set aside the true nature of the earth was revealed. By exploring their world these early wayfarers found the unthinkable, the world was round. This discovery changed the thinking of the human race forever. It caused the world to shrink. No longer was the earth seen as a boundless plane stretching off to infinity but a sphere where any straight line of travel would bring the traveler back to the point from which they started. The earth had become finite.

Lost in an Ocean of Time and Space

We and our planet are specks at the edge of time and space. Looking into the void it is apparent that we are not the center of the universe. Our small world is only a mote of dust in the vast reaches of infinity. There is nothing to indicate that our life and times matter in the grand scheme of things. It is the view of science that a random process brought us into being and in the end an equally random procession of events will mark our demise.

Why would the scientific community believe that we are nothing but an unintentional accident? What drives modern thought in the direction of such a purposeless existence? If we truly believe that we are meaningless and have no value in this cosmos then why do we seek answers to such questions as; Where did we come from? Where are we going? When will we get there? All of these questions would be mute and pursuing them would be a fools errand.

When Time and Space Collide

Maybe, like those sailors of old, we just do not see the reality that surrounds us. Possibly we are not yet capable of understanding the grand forces that shape this universe. There are hints that we extend beyond this physical realm in which we live and move. Maybe there is some connection between ourselves and the eternal. Just possibly we are more than we appear.

The cosmos hints at a deeper reality than the one that we can observe. Even science is beginning to come to the understanding that we exist on more than one plane. Quantum mechanics predicts the existence of multiple universes all of which are intertwined and dependant on one another. Do we exist in just one of these planes or do we extend across them all? I think that common sense dictates that if we were spawned by the cosmos then we must reflect its structure.

Beyond Infinity

When we contemplate the universe our minds eye sees a boundless expanse that stretches to infinity. It appears to be a three dimensional megacosm that has no boundaries. Yet, some of our finest minds say that this view of existence is limited by our present powers of observation and that there is more at work here than meets the eye. If this is true then we are also a part of this unknown province.

We see things in terms of time and space. Our awareness is confined to this temporal plane in which we exist. But, throughout recorded history there are allusions to another plane of existence. It has been called by many names (i.e. salvation, kingdom of God, nirvana, paradise, utopia, Shangri-la, etc.) but they all share a universal constant, they point to the existence of a spiritual side of life that is not easily observed.

As we evolve our understanding of existence expands as well. What we do not comprehend now we will realize in the future, that life can be risen to a higher power. By looking within ourselves we will find new vistas and powers that we cannot now imagine. Maybe we will find that the cosmos is not flat after all.