Gimme Some Space
7.8.15
Hi, I'm J and I like space.
No, not in the physical sense (well, kind of), but more in the physics of the universe sense. I am fascinated by the cosmos.
I am the farthest away from being any sort of expert. I just really like watching space documentaries, and there's a small [big] part of me that wishes I would've studied astrophysics. Yeah, I was that kid who said I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up (along with 50 billion other things, but that's a story for a different time). I've seen every part of Steven Hawking's "Into the Universe", every episode of Cosmos (both Carl Sagan's era and Neil DeGrasse Tyson's), most of "Through the Wormhole", and just about everything else I could find on Netflix, the Discovery Channel, and NOVA.
I just finished a book by one of my favorite astrophysicists, Michio Kaku, called "Parallel Worlds." To me, Kaku is the closest thing the science world has to a Tina Fey. His tone is captivating, and his rhetoric is witty. He spells out meta-complex theories like Newtonian physics, string theory, quantum physics, and relativity into relatable societal norms that anyone - regardless of having a background in cosmology - could understand. Therein lies the beauty of his writing: He's an incredible communicator, and his passion for studying the vast and mysterious nature of the cosmos is evident in his rhetoric. He appears in many space documentaries, and let me tell you, I have never seen anyone so excited about dark matter.
The man himself, Michio Kaku.
I thought this was beautiful for 2 reasons: 1) because it helped me realize that, despite the sheer infinity that is the universe, life on this planet is so precious and unlike anything else in our galaxy; and 2) it made me think about Jesus. (surprise surprise.)
The whole book is an explanation on the "M-Theory" which is a new theory essentially stating that our universe is just one bubble in an infinite sea of other universes (a multiverse); that we are but a minute portion of something much, much bigger. Larger and more vast than anything our human minds are capable of comprehending.
For me, the M-Theory makes sense, and the way it does is through God. Kaku said something cool in one of the final chapters that was something to the effect of "Astrophysicists are just about the only scientists who can say the word 'God' and not shudder." There is a reason why some argue that science is its own religion, and after reading books like this, it's not hard to understand why. Science is based on faith. Faith in a set of assumptions on which our existence is based on. We are part of something bigger; yes. I just choose to believe that bigger "something" is Him. He is interwoven into the fabric of space and time both in and out of our universe. He is the negative space between each "multiverse". He is what makes the statistical impossibility of life on Earth possible. I'd argue that believing in scientific "theories of everything" requires just as much faith as believing in Christ.
Kaku's closing thoughts were wonderful. He talked about how, as an astrophysicist, it's easy to get caught up in the hopelessness that comes with delving deeper and deeper into the cosmos; the more you dig, the more you realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. He, however, takes a different approach. He concludes by saying that studying the universe only excites him because the more he learns only reinforces his gratitude to be alive. He says what makes life worth living for him boiled down to two things: his hunger to learn more about what makes the universe tick, and his love for his wife. Sweet.
I definitely oogled over this book for a solid 20 minutes after I finished the last page. It was a great read and sparked a lot of gewd thoughts. Like novel-long blog post thoughts.
Overall, 10/10 would recommend.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read that madness. Just another peek into the pandemonium that is my brain.
Imma pce for now.
Much lurv,
J
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