The Final Frontier: What If The Universe Is Actually Round?
“The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” — Eden Phillpotts
Let’s get down to facts. We don’t have the answers as to where we are, where we’re going, and only up until about 5,000 or so years ago, where we’ve been. Scientists, doctors, astrophysicists, philosophers, astrologists, environmentalists, and stargazing astronomers (among many others) for millenniums have tried to put their finger on the answer to that and many other questions. But there are specific elements within this trek forward we need to be more aware of. There are definitely hidden clues left on the trail to higher understanding and in our venture towards the great beyond. Ones that are often overlooked. I’ll dive more into this in a bit, but first things first….Let’s get down to basics for a moment.
The first logical question is obvious. The human race is here on earth. Great. But…..
WHERE IS EVERYBODY ELSE ??????????????
When gathering data one must first take a look at our old friend The Fermi Paradox to help shed some light on this mystery. This paradox is the belief that extraterrestrial civilizations existing is one large contradiction. We have high probability other forms of life do exist yet then we have no lack of evidence. Basically, everyone has a theory. Nobody has the answer. We are all…screwed.
Knowing this we have to be aware of what is called the Kardashev Scale. This scale hypothesizes that there are three forms of intelligence Type I, Type II, and Type III. Type I has the ability to use all of the earth’s energy properly, Type II uses their star’s existence, and type III uses their entire galaxy. Us humans have hardly even gotten to Type I knowledge. We’re about 70% there. Though with us starting to use sustainable energy more and more and abandoning fossil fuels and other harmful environment substances…we are getting close. What does this mean for us? Yikes! Start looking up people. That’s where we are headed. And I don’t mean that in a negative context. I’m not hypothesizing life on earth will deaden. I’m saying that as we expand our understanding of our own minds and intelligence we will be ready and prepared for the next step. That step? Intergalactic travel. Yes, indeed. Remember the ole preparation meets opportunity quip? It applies here.
Always brought into context is the idea of “The Great Filter”.
Tim Urban on his brilliant website “Wait But Why” sums it up nicely:
The Great Filter theory says that at some point from pre-life to Type III intelligence, there’s a wall that all or nearly all attempts at life hit. There’s some stage in that long evolutionary process that is extremely unlikely or impossible for life to get beyond. That stage is The Great Filter.
Urban goes on to say:
If this theory is true, the big question is, Where in the timeline does the Great Filter occur?
It turns out that when it comes to the fate of humankind, this question is very important. Depending on where The Great Filter occurs, we’re left with three possible realities: We’re rare, we’re first, or we’re fucked.
- We’re Rare — We got through! The great filter is behind us.
- We’re First — This is the first time intelligent life has developed. We are the first.
- We’re fucked — We are yet to hit the great filter and are more than likely going to hit in the future. In essence, we are doomed.
Basically this theory is saying that somewhere along evolution’s path there was this filter. Think of it like the sieve Mom used for cooking. Hardly anyone got through. Most species either are ahead of or behind it. But where are we on the scale? If we are ahead of it perhaps nobody else has gotten through and therefore we are the lucky ones. If we’re behind it then perhaps EVERYONE else is on the other side or just a few, or one…or who knows?
Other theories as far as the existence of extraterrestrial life abound. Some scientists believe super intelligent life could have been here before us and left, the galaxy is colonized but we’re just in a very rural area, they may be in a much more advanced world where physical colonization is backwards (i suspect this theory is on the right track), There are dangerous predator civilizations out there and most intelligent life knows not to broadcast their whereabouts so they keep quiet, there’s plenty of activity out there we just cannot hear it because they are far more advanced, the “Zoo Hypothesis” which proposes we are a giant zoo to alien civilizations looking on, the possiblity they are all already here and we just cannot see them or perceive them, and the possibility we are living in a simulation / hologram of some type. And probably many others I didn’t mention. Note: This is general info I pulled from Wait But Why
When I was in high school I had a classmate once tell me that ants can’t look up. They weren’t programmed to do so. I was always intrigued…Then I saw the brilliant theoretical physicist Professor Michio Kaku’s theory:
Let’s say we have an anthill in the middle of the forest. And right next to the anthill, they’re building a ten-lane super-highway. And the question is “Would the ants be able to understand what a ten-lane super-highway is? Would the ants be able to understand the technology and the intentions of the beings building the highway next to them?”
So there is a distinct possibility that higher civilizations are already here. We just cannot see or understand them. We can’t “look up”. How aware are ants building an anthill on the side of the highway of a giant semi-truck going by at 75 mph? Think they know thats a semi headed from Texas to North Carolina? There perhaps is a lot going on around us that we just don’t know is there. And it’s not just not knowing…it’s not “comprehending”. I can sit here and try to think logically about it, but what if logical thought is out the window? Very beyond our comprehension.
If you’re going to get anything out of this post, this is the biggest point of information I want you to hold on to. In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue yada yada yada…by the way he left on my birthday August 3rd…so yeah beat that bitches! Tom Brady and I have always known our birthday ruled. Anyway, sorry I get carried away…Over there in Europe at the time they thought the world was flat. They were sure of it. If you sailed away, you fall off. Don’t do it! So that line of thinking was a certain way because that is all we ever knew to think. That’s as far as the human psyche had “progressed”. They also thought the sun rotated around the earth. Among many other things. So assuming that happened 400 + years ago who’s to say once again we are not in for another surprise?
That’s the kicker. I believe we ARE in for another surprised. And I cannot fathom or speculate what. But it’s coming. Kind of exciting no?
I’ll put 4 Cardinals tickets (yes I’m from Saint Louis) that there is some type of a surprise awaiting us in the great mysterious wander that we call “space” or “the universe” or “The final frontier” or “the cosmos”. It’s happened many times before in our great history who who’s to say it won’t again. But heres the MOST important part, to get to that surprise we have as a species have to advance our minds to the point where we are READY to get there. Ever wonder why a baseball player starts in A ball, then AA, AAA, and FINALLY the major leagues. Because this is the way things work. Moving up through the minor leagues in baseball or moving from a Freshman to a Senior in college have the simplicity of the movement forward of the entire human race. We just have to recognize that fact. Then ask ourselves “How can the world improve it’s “skill-set”? Let’s improve our baseball swing. We should at least be cognizant about the progression of our wonderful species and how we can advance. Bottom line: Use the clues. Use the roadmap people. A lot of folks like to just accept things as is. I’m writing this piece to excite you. This stuff a big deal! …So Now you’re asking…Well…how do we get there? How do we advance to Type II or to unlock more new world secrets. Where is the new world we have yet to encounter. Well there’s many ways to get there. Start by looking at what the world needs to advance us… I can name one big one for sure:
Two words: SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.
I’ll tell you who’s on the right track…Fellow here in LA down the road named ELON MUSK. Elon understands that we have to start using our energy properly AND sustain it to survive and progress. And this needs to happen more rapidly than it is. He realizes that to get from being a Type I civilization to a Type II civilization we have to become a species that makes the best use of our resources to advance humankind forward. We must begin using it in cars (Tesla), houses (SolarCity), and other modes of transportation (Hyperloop). The moment we embrace that and start doing it more the further advanced we will become, and the quicker we’ll unlock even more secrets. Sailing a boat away from Europe to find “the new world” doesn’t sound far from taking a rocket from Hawthorne Airport to find “the new world” does it? Now we’re on to something.
This brings me to my final point. There is an inherent power to the human brain that not many people fully comprehend. If you think about it everything that has already been invented and that in the future will be invented, is already here. They had the parts for the wheel, electricity, or an airplane. Someone had just not thought about how to CREATE it yet. CREATION is the keyword. The parts and particles are here to move us forward. There’s a road map of clues. We just have to see them, embrace them, and then make a physical effort to make progress.
To make progress we have to just keep creating. Keep being hungry. And to be creative and to make progress we have to fail, over and over and over again (don’t forget the greatest baseball players in history only succeed 3 out of 10 times at the plate) …so to fail you better be foolish…take the risk.
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” — Steve Jobs
Geoff Pilkington
A recent podcast I was on discussing my theories on ADHD:http://www.seeinadhd.com/adhd-mind/
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