Something From Nothing

I find that debating people is hopeless because everyone has their mind made up on their positions and rather than being openminded, people just defend their viewpoint. To save society at this critical time we all need to listen to the other side and use critical thinking skills.

When in a debate I usually don't think of a good response until after the fact, which at least makes me sharper for the next debate. But it's no use because if I get a few "zingers" in that only makes the other person more defensive and angry. PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEIR MINDS CHANGED. They like holding on to their stories, whatever they may be.

So, I don't really know what to do other than to listen and make a few points in the hopes that I am at least putting cracks in their walls. People don't like it when I disagree with them. They are frustrated when I don't swallow the dogma and regurgitate the script of southern white America. Please forgive me when I question, it's just that we are facing so much social and environmental peril right now that I feel like I must stick my neck out a little.

Before the Big Bang

Last week I talked about our evolution leading up to the Big Bang, which cosmologists are now able to date to 13.8 billions years ago. Just a few million years after this event the chemical building blocks of life started to form, which eventually led to us.

Now, to review from my past posts, we are mostly made up of hydrogen, which is the basic element of the Universe. In the super-heated furnaces of dying stars more complex elements are formed and when those stars explode they blast their dust everywhere. So, anything in our body more complex than hydrogen was made by a star. We are, indeed, stardust and no magician made us from a handful of dirt.

Until recently the belief was that before the singularity, where the Big Bang happened, there was simply no time or space. However, newer theories suggest otherwise. A more recent theory states that there is no such thing as nothingness, but rather, between the protons, and even between the quarks, there is open space where particles come and go out of existence. So, there never was nothing and at the time of the Big Bang that "something" apparently just changed form.

The point being is that there is no need for a creator or fairy tales to explain our creation. Physicists and cosmologists are slowly unraveling the mysteries of the Universe. To prove that a God triggered the Big Bang there is no way to create an experiment or apply math. If you really want to prove a mystery, capture some dark matter because no one really has. Getting some in a box would take us to the next level in understanding the Universe.

To learn more on this topic I recommend you study the works of theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss. His book, A Universe From Nothing, goes into more detail about the Big Bang or you can catch some of his lectures on YouTube.

Who Am I

As I try to figure out the mysteries of life and the Universe, I've also been trying to figure myself out more. In the human brain there are places that are similar to the deepest parts of the ocean — they are areas that hold great mysteries and remain unexplored. Even at age 59 I'm still trying to understand myself. For instance, sometimes I think I subconsciously sabotage my romantic relationships and I'm not sure why. The biggest problem I see is that people are unwilling to acknowledge their flaws. Their behaviors are always "right" and it's always the other person who does things "wrong." It would be helpful if we all did some serious introspection and learned to acknowledge the parts of us we don't like. Self-improvement and understanding needs to be an ongoing part of our life journey.

Rouge Leaders

On another topic I can't express enough my loathing and disdain for the current president. The man is a walking train wreck. But then I see the rise of these near-autocrat, right-wing politicians around the world. What's going on?

As I mentioned a few blog posts ago, race has been a main driver in American politics for 150 years. Now, we have immigration, and the fear it creates, to shape politics.

The irony is that there is a perpetual loop in place where citizens in wealthier nations panic when they see all the "different" people flooding their country. That's when they elect extremist leaders who promise to take action against immigrants. These wealthy countries produce more than their fair share of carbon, which affects the weather and causes droughts, famines, and natural disasters. These events, in turn, trigger human emigration as desperate people, who may have lost their farm or home, struggle to survive. It's a really screwed up situation and will only get worse as sea levels rise and more neighborhoods simply go underwater. Evangelicals will scream that God is punishing us for gay marriage and abortion, but the only thing that matters is physics. More carbon in the atmosphere means a greater greenhouse effect. So you can bitch about Al Gore flying around in a private jet but the real problem begins with the millions of American cars that are spewing out CO2 every day. Pray about that all you want.

But, anyway, to quote Mr. Krauss:

Unfortunately, the politics of fear that is promoting the rise of autocratic politicians is producing policies that are likely making [environmental] problems far worse. It is hard to see how this vicious cycle will easily end.  

Over the years I've come to view both religion and metaphysics as not only escapism but a serious danger to the world. In addition to serving as a distraction from the serious problems we face, religion also promotes fantasy thinking in other parts of life as well. The end result is that we have a society disconnected from reality. Where I live in the Atlanta, Georgia suburbs there are churches EVERYWHERE. Now, if people actually followed the teachings of Jesus we'd easily have a sustainable world. Jesus lived a simple lifestyle, spoke against the evils of wealth, and promoted nonviolence. The American Christian is NOTHING like the Jesus presented in the four Gospels. It's all a charade, a sham, and a joke. It's weird that religion and greedy corporations are speeding up the end of humanity, but, if you study cosmology you will find that the Universe is full of weirdness. So, I guess it's no big deal. But it is a big deal because of all the other lifeforms we are killing along with us. If I sound a little angry at religion, well, yeah, I am.


Additional Reading: Nuclear Synthesis (written in easy-to-understand English)

Photo: A. L.