This topic is different from my usual writing, but it is something that many of us, myself included, often contemplate: the origins of life, its existence, and its end.
The intersection of religion and science, particularly as it pertains to the subjects of life and death, is a highly contentious topic.
The question of whether there is life after death and, if so, what form it takes, is one that has puzzled humans for centuries. Some believe in reincarnation, the idea that the soul is reborn in a new body after death. Others believe in an afterlife, a place or state where the soul goes after the body dies. Still, others believe that death is the end of consciousness and that there is no existence beyond the physical world. There is no definitive answer to this question, and different belief systems offer different perspectives on the subject.
Let's start with the creation of the universe.

The Universe was born around 13.82 billion years ago: matter, energy, space – and time – erupted into a fireball. It expanded and, from the cooling debris, there congealed galaxies – islands of stars of which our Milky Way is one among about two trillion. This is the Big Bang theory. This is the earliest understanding we
have of the universe. But is the Big Bang the totality of reality? What was before the creation of the universe? It is debated that a lot of other quantum events have happened.
Furthermore, we also know that the universe keeps expanding, but what is it expanding into? Einstein's general equation of relativity describes space and time as a kind of 'interconnected' fabric for the universe. This means, what we know of as 'space and time exists only as part of the universe and not beyond it.

The concept of the universe expanding suggests that the space between objects within the universe is increasing. However, if there is no space beyond the bounds of the universe, it is difficult to understand what it means for the universe to expand. Some theories, such as the idea of a multiverse, propose the existence of multiple parallel universes, each with its own version of reality. These concepts are still the subject of much study and debate, and our understanding of them is constantly evolving. The fact that at one point, people believed the earth was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth.
Now, to what extent is our brain capable of understanding and comprehending these complex concepts? We do - at the end of the day - have limitations.
It is clear that the human brain is capable of great feats of understanding and imagination, but it is also limited in certain ways.
Is there an end? What does the 'end' look like? Can we imagine nothingness?
The concept of nothingness, or the absence of all matter and energy, is also difficult for the human brain to fully comprehend.

If you experience the sensation of smoke coming out of your head while thinking about this complex topic, rest assured that this is a normal occurrence and has no cause for concern. ( I think)
It is not uncommon for people to have strong reactions to intellectually challenging subjects. More or less. As a precaution, it might be wise to keep a fire extinguisher nearby to disable any smoke detectors in the vicinity to prevent any false alarms.
Anyway, let's continue. If you are ready of course...
The idea of an infinite loop with finite beginnings and endings within it is a unique way of conceptualizing the cycle of life and death. Essentially, I am suggesting that while the universe itself may be infinite, individual life forms exist within it for a limited period of time, experiencing a beginning and an end. This could be thought of as analogous to lines sitting on an infinite loop, starting and ending at specific points before beginning again. A perspective worth considering.
From an article on quantamagazine.org
- Hawking, in his brilliance, saw a way to end the interminable groping backwards in time: He proposed that there’s no end, or beginning, at all. (...) “There ought to be something very special about the boundary conditions of the universe, and what can be more special than the condition that there is no boundary?”-
But there is one more concept to consider: religion. The relationship between religion and science is a complex and often contentious one. Many people believe in a higher power, such as God, Allah, or Buddha, and have faith in the creation stories told in their respective religions. At the same time, scientists have developed the big bang theory as an explanation for the origins of the universe. It is possible that both of these perspectives contain elements of truth.

It is also worth considering the idea that humans, as evolved apes, may not be fully capable of grasping the absolute truth about the nature of existence and the universe.
Both religion and science are products of human understanding, and it is possible that neither one fully captures the full complexity of reality.
It is certainly an interesting idea to consider the possibility that the big bang, which is the prevailing scientific theory for the origin of the universe, was itself created by a higher power. This would suggest that there is a deeper level of complexity to the universe than what is currently understood through science. The question of what existed before the start of the universe, or what caused the universe to come into being, is one that has puzzled humans for centuries and is still a subject of debate and study. It is difficult for the human mind to fully comprehend that it was created from nothing. Similarly, the question of what created the dust particle that is thought to have sparked the big bang, and what created the higher power, if it exists, are mysteries that may never be fully solved.
Science is based on observation and reasoning from observation. Religion assumes that human beings can access a deeper level of information that is not available by either observation or reason. The scientific method is proven by its success. The religious method is refuted by its failure.
We don't always have to see something for it to be true. Feelings cannot be seen, but they do exist, even though anger and happiness can be measured, by either the levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol or by the levels of dopamine, we still cannot directly see or touch it. What if the concept of 'God' aka the higher self exists, we just haven't discovered the tools to see it.
Science says, after we die, this is it. Nothing of our consciousness is left, and our bodies just simply decompose. Religious/ spirituality says that we either go into 'heaven or hell', are reborn or our souls roam around the streets.
We could even go one step further to believing that we all live in an illusion. That what we perceive as the physical world is not actually real and we are in a simulation. But that is a topic for another day.
To be continued.....
-Liva
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