Is time really a fourth dimension? Or is it something else altogether?
We can revisit locations in the three dimensions of space, that we have been to before or move to new locations of our own choosing, but we can’t travel in time other than by being pushed along by a constant, irresistible, steady forward momentum. The very concept of the passage of time is just a human construct based on the movement of the Earth around the sun, which is a very local phenomenon and of little significance to the universe as a whole. Our way of visualising the passing of time is just the movement of various cogs and wheels. The ticking clock is just a spring in a box unwinding.
Some quantum physicists will tell you that the movement of fundamental particles is absolutely predictable and is governed by the strict laws of physics…… therefore the shape of the future is predictable from the shape of the present….. and that the shape of the present was already mapped out way back at the dawn of time. However if you follow that logic, then there can be no such thing as free will, as everything is preordained……… but most of us like to think that we have free will. “I am not a number I am a free man”.
Other’s tell us that all matter is information and reality is pixilated, leading to the theory that we are all part of huge computer simulation and that that simulation may, itself be part of a higher level simulation or a nested series of simulations within simulations. Some will tell you that there are multiple or even infinite alternative universes where everything that could possibly happen has happened in one or another of them.
The one thing that scientists can be certain off, is that we actually know very little about the true nature of reality. The study of human consciousness is still in its infancy and making some sort of sense of our existence is almost impossible with our current level on knowledge.
Even our understanding of space is a bit wibbly wobbly when we get beyond the visible universe. We don’t seem to be able to grasp the concepts of infinity in either the realms of space or time. We are uncomfortable with the concept of infinity because it forces us to think about the vastness of the universe and our own infinitely tiny place in it and our own unimaginable insignificance in the grand scheme of things.
So how do we deal with this much uncertainty and insecurity? Some are comforted by the thought that everything is preordained by the movements of the stars and there is nothing they can do about it. Some look to some sort of God to move in mysterious ways and absolve them of all responsibility for their lives and their actions. However, will people in a 1,000 years’ time, talk about Jesus, Buddha and Allah in the same way we talk about Zeus, Odin and Eros today? Some look to science to provide us with all the answers we seek.
I may be completely mistaken, but I would like to believe that I have free will, independent of my fundamental particles, master of my own destiny and that I am real and not part of some sort of A.I. computer simulation. It is all well and good being the master of your own destiny, but that does mean that you are ultimately responsible for your own actions and have no one but yourself to blame for whatever situation you find yourself in.
Sadly none of us are likely to live long enough to ever know the truth. So we should all live our lives to the full, have fun, love, laugh, sing and dance like it is our last day on Earth...... because you never know, they may decide to turn the computer simulation off tomorrow..........
Freedom equals individualism, creativity, entrepreneurship, exceptionalism...once you become a nonentity of group think the game is over ... just my humble opinion
