The Cosmos and everything else in it.......(contd. from previous post)

THE GENESIS............


Do you know how the universe came into existence in its present form?


Some 14 billion years ago there used to be an unbelievably hot and dense object called the Black Hole. One fine day the object burst out like a bomb and threw infinite splinters all around. These splinters formed themselves into the stars, planets, satellites, asteroids, comets, meteors and other celestial objects that we see in the sky.
Ain't that simple enough?


But this doesnt tell me how Human beings came into existence?


Presto....We have another easy explanation for this - the Darwin theory of evolution.
This theory claims that life started off on earth with microscopic single cellular organisms such as the Amoeba ( there is no theory that tells us how the Amoeba came up in the first place, guess that was just a miracle or perhaps a mishap). Through the processes of natural selection, survival of the fittest and mutation, the Amoeba gradually developed into multi-cellular organisms and finally to the Human Being!!!!! Gosh!!!! I never knew that my oldest ancesotors were actually the Amoeba!!!Isn't it amazing!!!


Do you believe any of that?? No?? Read on for another explanation...


Long long ago, there was absolutely nothing on earth. No humans, no animals, no plants nor trees, not even land. In fact the earth itself didnt exist but for a lump of mass covered entirely by the blue ocean surrounded by darkness everywhere. One fine day God, sitting in his heavenly abode decided to change the appearance of the Universe and the earth. Starting off first with light and darkness, God went on to create the earth and the sky, plants and trees, birds and animals, and finally Adam and Eve, the first human beings ever. Six days in all it took and then God decided to take rest on the Seventh day, which is why we still take Sunday off for Sabbath/for offering our prayers to God.

Do you think this was it?? Wait, wait..there is some more to come...


The Hindu Vedas believe that the cosmos was created by Lord Brahma,is maintained by Lord Vishnu and finally is destroyed by Lord Shiva, thus forming the 'Trinity'. Essentially all living beings, and the Cosmos itself goes through an infinite number of births, lives, deaths and rebirths. According to the Vedas the age of the Universe is about 155,522 billion years, whereas if you note, the Big Bang is able to only visualize a time 14 billions years ago...
I found this really interesting link that shows how to calculate the age of the Universe:

http://www.hitxp.com/ved/01052007.htm


Do you subscribe to this theory? Maybe, may not be.


After all who really knows the truth right????


Actually, the second and third explanations are more or less similar in nature, the basic idea being God, the omnipotent force created everything. Well, it certainly does seem to be a much more simplistic and plausible reasoning. And in many ways more believable than the so called scientific theories. For one thing, I do not have to accept an Amoeba for an ancestor!!!! Atleast God gave me human ancestors in Adam and Eve!!


Scientific theories are always proved wrong, God has never been so.


The other major issue with the scientific theory is that it cannot read time as it existed 'prior' to the time as we know it. And it cannot see space 'beyond' the finite space as we know it. Meaning? Can you visualize the 'beginning' of time? Can you imagine the 'end' of space? NO. The human brain is limited in its capacities to do that.


The existence of an omnipotent God resolves all our problems.


Science is measurable. God is immeasurable.
Science is finite. God is infinite.
Science is understood. God is never understood.
Science is inconsistent. And God, is just one, so there is no question of consistency/inconsistency.


Q: So what's the conclusion of all this exercise?
A: I dont know the truth about life.............



Amen.

The Alchemist - Following your dreams!

The book - The Alchemist..by Paulo Coelho..says its a 'Fable about following your dream'...with the oft repeated quote in the novel "When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true".

The book talks about a small town shepherd boy travelling all over just chasing his dream -which is a treasure unknown to anyone....by teaching him to recognize the 'omens' and follow them religiously to reach the 'treasure'...And when the boy does exactly that, things just happen to fall in place at the right time and the right place....

Well, If only achieving one's dreams were as simple as following the 'omens' and going where they take you!

All of us do dare to dream..And dream real big as well! But how many of us actually even reach close to 1% of achieving that dream? Reasons for not achieving may be multifarious...The most common I believe, contrary to the statement "the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true" is the rest of the universe itself! How many times has it happened that one has dreamed of doing something but couldnt do that owing to family pressure/peer pressure/societal pressure/ atomospheric pressure [:)]???? Which part of the universe really conspires in 'favour' of your dreams?? None I bet...

You might say, the one who ultimately makes his dreams come true is the one who has enough courage to defy all the aforementioned pressures and simply go about chasing them...Will that really work?? Consider the same shepherd boy in the story, Just imagine he weren't just a character in the story but instead was a real person living in the 21st Century...Now let us say he has a desire to travel...And he wishes to go to Egypt in search of an unknown treasure and has enormous courage to defy all the opposition he faces...But he doesnt have the money...Unlike the fable where a King gives him the two 'omen charms', 'Urim' and 'Thummim' to guide him throughout his journey, the reality would be that he wont have enough money to perhaps even travel from one end of the city to another by local transport!! Now thats exactly the difference between a fable and reality....

I am not trying to be pessimistic here by saying that dreams dont come true...They do..They most certainly do...Rather, the point Im trying to make is that even dreams need to be realistic...and within reach...coz even for simple dreams to come true, one must have the bare minimum resources to even DARE to dream...Perhaps if two different people are on an equal footing in terms of resources/surroundings/the rest of the universe and they both dream of similar things, then there is a good chance that both of them realise their dreams!! On the other hand if a poor lowly shepherd boy and a multi millionaire both dream of flying to the moon, who actually even has the potential to realize his dream is anybody's guess....

Why do we exist??

A question that has always perplexed me confused me evoked my thought process to eternity but left me with no answers..When I think of the vast Universe that surrounds us...the stars the planets and various other celestial objects on one hand....and I look at the earth with us humans with plants and animal and other living objects...I see no relation...How on earth (rather how on the universe?) did all of these things come into being...And even if we know the answer to that...What is it that we human beings are here for? What is our aim in life?? Do we really have one for which we are brought on to this earth? Or is it all merely superficial...sham..created by Man himself...

Coming to a micro level, just have a look at what most of us humans do...
most of us are occupied with the mundane things in life such as school, studies, college, entertainment, work, responsibilities, marriage, kids, retirement and finally death..Is there all there is to life?? I mean if death is inevitable, then in effect no one really cares after you are gone then why is everyone bothered with the aforementioned mundane things?. Why does one fall into the eternal trap of the fight for survival?? Why?? Why is there so much of competition so much of rat race? I am the best..no one can beat me in this...this is what I want to do in life...This is what I am good at...I am better than so and so...yada yada stuff!! After all you and me are going to be the same...we both come into being because we have been made to..somehow no one knows how...and no one knows why...and we both are ultimately going to get merged with the mud..excepting time differences perhaps...And not just me and you...but also all those plants and animals we live with...all of us are going to end at the same place..the EARTH...Whats the difference then? Between one who is a top shot guy in so and so field..and one who is say literally working in the fields...or a dog straying by the roadside....The fact that humans can talk? Have brain? How much does it matter when the end destiny is the same for both??

I believe I exist merely because I have been made to exist...I believe I do these mundane things in life simply because I have nothing else to do...Because no one has told me that I have been brought into existence for anything else. Because I do not see any purpose whatsoever for the human race existing on this planet...Because I know my final destiny anyway so why bother?