The more we find out about the universe and it’s workings, the more questions we seem to have. The more we look and learn, the more we see and discover. When we think we have found the limits of our understanding, more questions and directions open up.
“The task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen; but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees.”
– Erwin Schrödinger
Mankind has sought to find meaning since the dawn of civilisations. Through science; physics, chemistry and biology, we explore our external world, our environment, our physical existence.
Through philosophy, psychology, sociology, religion and spirituality we explore ourselves, our consciousness and the invisible realm.
Science is defined as what we can measure, it has given us much in the way of progress and understanding of our observable, physical world.
The technology we have developed allows us to explore the world around us. Our telescopes look to the objects in the sky, father than the eye can see, our microscopes look to the objects too small. These are the tools we use to better understand our external experiences.
Mainstream science however somewhat limited by its own restrictions in that it often ignores the observer, the effects of the experimenter on the experiment. It ignores all that can't be measured, predicted, controlled.
The double slit experiments showed that the observer does indeed have an effect on the experiment. However there is still a resistance to the exploration of the ‘why?’
One common influence that most people are aware of is the placebo effect. The mind has the power, with the belief of the effect of the medication, to heal the body.
Here are 8 studies that have shown conciousness affecting reality
For wider experiments in global conciousness there is also The Intention Experiment and Global Conciousness Project
We cannot yet understand our own consciousness yet we know it exists. Through our consciousness we explore not just the observations and definitions we see but attempt to find meanings behind them, find the ‘why’ and ‘how’ from the ‘what’.
While we are insignificant in comparison to the scale of what we can observe and measure, the fact that we can observe and think about it at all is incredible. We are a part of the universe, a part that can contemplate the whole, this is worth exploring but it is only just entering mainstream science.
Organised religion can be described as a traditional worldview and is limited in that it does not often update its teachings with new discoveries. Recorded teachings can become distorted over the years with translation and shifting of understanding. Some have also been distorted with power and used as a control mechanism through fear.
Religion when it is passed through generations is indoctrination, it places limits on what people accept and believe.
What may have been meant as metaphor story could be taken as literal. That's not to say there is nothing to learn from studying religions as part of the big picture, religion says a lot about the nature of ourselves and our need to understand our place.
Equaly athiesm can put limits on what you accept and believe but at least it leaves you more open to finding your own path towards understanding (as I did).
Is is best to get as many sources as possible when contemplating the biggest questions.
We live in wonder, looking, reaching, searching for answers to explain what we experience. We make measurements and observations of what we see, devise better and better measuring tools to see at the smallest and largest scales. What we see and discover leads to more questions, more avenues to explore, and small groups of us advance slowly in our understanding.
“It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.”
Nikola Tesla
We are evolving in our understanding and our intellect, in tandem with our technology and our medicine, letting us live longer lives and have more free time to think about things other than survival. With the advent of the internet, we are more connected than ever. We can engage with the perspectives of anyone who wishes to share them. If there was ever a time for exploring the nature of life, universe and everything, it is now.
