I was thinking about the complexity of the universe (yeah, apparently I have that kind of time). Anyway, from the macro (the infinite expanding universe, super black holes, galaxies) to the micro (atoms, particles, cosmic strings) and everything in between (planetary systems, global weather, politics, relationships) it all seems just way too complicated to me. Call me crazy (many people do) but doesn't it seem nature should tend toward a simpler, or even the simplest of all forms?
I got to thinking that maybe reality isn't, um, real. Maybe it is a prototype. A plan. Maybe it's just a dream of something else.
That could explain a lot of the inconsistencies, or otherwise nonsensical things in life that we observe (or think we are observing because we aren't really real and neither are our observations). The oddities, unnecessary complexities, and other things that just don't fit might differ between us; maybe UFOs and socks worn with sandals defy all logic for some of us, and for others it is dark matter and ecosystems of the planet Earth, while for others still it's tax forms and non-alcoholic beer. Could be you don't get why Woody Allen is funny (which I can relate to) or how radio and television waves, let alone wireless networks and satellite communications, can possibly work. Or flight! Lasers! Magnetism! Gravity! Time! Procreation! Evolution!
Or how life can even exist at all, forget consciousness or intelligence!
Sure, you could chuck it all up to that cosmic catch-all we refer to as God or Allah or Angelina Jolie (hey, to each his own). But really, does that explain it any better? Honestly? Well, maybe it does apply... maybe that's what I am getting at after all.
But I've gotten ahead of myself. Alright, let's back up. Let's rewind the conversation, and the entire universe, to the beginning. Whether you are a believer in the Old Testament or in the Bing Bang theory, the concept is basically the same... there was once nothing (or just a single thing) and then, boom, there was everything. (OK, that's probably the Dumbing Down of the century, but you get the idea... I hope.)
Instead of God, I will refer to the nothingness/one-thing as The Point--that single point of existence that all things stem from. OK, now my thinking is that The Point is fairly simple compared to what we have now, regardless of its level of awareness, it can't be all that complex, relatively speaking. So, it's a point, a tiny, infinitely concentrated, and beautifully simplistic point. The very thing that all of creation should tend towards, in my opinion. After all, there is really no need for it to be anything more.
But let's say for the sake of argument, that The Point is sentient, and yes, omnipotent. It is aware of what it is, and that it is everything, and that it is perfect in its simplicity. Wow, right? Now let's say that it considers the possibility of something less perfect, but more complex. It thinks this new thing through to the finest detail, considering every interaction, every dependency, every permutation... every single component of this huge and mind-boggling elaborate Other Thing.
Now, can it be said that since The Point has imagined the Other Thing to the nth degree, that in a sense the Other Thing is real? What if The Point had put so much thought into this Other Thing that it took on a life of its own, like when a writer is pouring his heart into the little universe and cast of characters of a story? But, what if that Other Thing isn't real in the sense that we, the fictional players on the ultimate stage, understand the concept. What if The Other thing is just, for all intents and purposes, just a thought? A consideration? A daydream of that one point which is utterly alone and all-powerful?
What if our universe--and everything in it, including us--is nothing more than God's imaginary friend?
Or, what if I had just a little too much wine tonight. Either way, I'm tired.
Peace out.