WHY THIS UNIVERSE

WHY THIS UNIVERSE 

If not this then what?

Imagine our planet is an ant in a forest. Each leaf is a solar system. The ant will look around and think my goodness there seems to be trillions of clusters of leaves - trees being galaxies. But the forest is a tiny speck on Earth. There are so many other worlds which are filled with water/liquids filled with lava, mountain ranges major continents beyond the forest. 

There are some potent questions for which we have no solid answers sitting in our tiny perch. I want you to read this group of questions and contemplate them in your mind: Why this massive universe with gases and solids and burning stars and spinning clusters? Why only these materials? If not this then what else could have been in this space? How did this particular set of materials that populate this vast universe come into existence.... and why? What if in some other universe there are other set of materials which come together to form different looking things? Why do they exist for millions of years? Who planted all these materials that form into stars and planets and galaxies in this plane? What is this void of space in which these clusters forming our universe came into existence? When all the gases burning in all the stars get extinguished why will the universe go back to or turn into dark and cold? The complex life forms in our planet and the subatomic world give evidence of incredible, jaw dropping engineering - therefore this pattern would be continuing with the design and function of the universe. We dismiss all the specii's intelligently complex engineering to be the result of evolutionary processes all centered around survival but how do we explain the complex engineering of the atomic and subatominc world? It is difficult to study the universe so deeply from our tiny perch and at the current development of our intelligence but we have been able to study the subatomic construction which is the building blocks of all matter and forces in this universe. There has to be a reason why and how these subatomic building blocks came into existence in this particular design and with these particular properties. Can you imagine the universe without just one of its forces: gravity?- it is like someone has used a glue to keep all their decorations in place. If the subatomic engineering is evidence than it is unlikely that the universe can just be this one plane on which this set of matter and forces exist. There would be trillions of other planes with universes made of different things. And if all this unending vastness is called existence then the question is why this existence? What if all the matter in space did not exist - going further what if space did not exist - what would be there?

Image Source Wikipedia

ANCIENT WISDOM

REMARKABLE ANCIENT WISDOM

Ancient wisdom from India seems to be under rated despite health science like Yoga gaining world wide popularity - probably the most successful rebirth of an ancient science in modern times. When studied carefully and analyzed one is surprised if not shocked to realize how advanced was the intelligence and how deep was the knowledge. Due to various geopolitical factors the inheritors lose the science behind the genesis of the knowledge and are only able to pass on the fruits. 

Let us examine Yoga. Haven't all of us noticed regular Yoga practitioners looking younger for their age with their skin having a shine? Any good Yoga instructor will spend as much time in teaching breathing as in asans. I observed that Yoga is nothing but the equivalent of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. It compresses and stretches each important organ and tissue, makes us breathe deeply and then releases the compression or stretch so that oxygen rich blood rushes in. Just hold forearm tightly for a few minutes and then release - one will feel a rush of blood entering the compressed area. If done correctly the oxygen rich blood rejuvenates the organ/tissue. Although it may not have the same intensity of rejuvenation that one can achieve with high pressure hyperbaric oxygen therapy its the regular practice over a life time that tones up our internal self. It just goes to show that there was already an understanding of the role of oxygen and circulation that was achieved thousands of years ago. As one ages our ability to saturate our blood with oxygen and circulate it thoroughly into every tissue and organ diminishes. Regular practice of Yoga alleviates this age related impairment to some extent. Of course there would be many other actions it may be effecting that may be as much if not more beneficial then the one I observed and one can write a scientific treatise on it but for this blog I leave you with just this remarkable observation. 

There are many such incredible proofs of the deep level of knowledge achieved in ancient India like selection of spices in daily diet- todays scientists and researches are going bonkers over spices like turmeric which seems to have very potent benefits for our body - it has been discovered that it is a anti-cancer agent, helps relieve arthritis, controls diabetes, reduces bad cholestrol levels, its an immunity booster, heals wounds if applied externally, helps in weight management, prevents Alzheimer's disease, improves digestion and prevents liver disease!  It has anti-inflammatory effect in our body and inflammation causes the most dreaded diseases in us. If one tastes it alone it is not a natural choice for its taste as a spice to be added in all meals but in India from thousands of years our curry and cooked vegetables are always yellow thanks to this ancient wisdom. 

Another amazing realization that I have made is about prolonged fasting - a custom prevalent in India from thousands of years. Ancient scientist not only discovered the life extending benefits of fasting but also were clever enough to realize that prolonged fasting would be difficult to follow and garbed it with religion to create the fervor to see it through. Hundreds of scientific studies done recently have shown that our biochemistry triggers certain actions that helps us survive a famine. “We could not predict that prolonged fasting would have such a remarkable effect in promoting stem cell-based regeneration of the hematopoietic system,” said corresponding author Valter Longo, Edna M. Jones Professor of Gerontology and the Biological Sciences at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC Longevity Institute. Prolonged fasting forces the body to use stores of glucose, fat and ketones, but it also breaks down a significant portion of white blood cells. Longo likens the effect to lightening a plane of excess cargo.

During each cycle of fasting depletion of white blood cells induces changes that trigger stem cell-based regeneration of new immune system cells. In particular, prolonged fasting reduced the enzyme PKA, an effect previously discovered by the Longo team to extend longevity in simple organisms and which has been linked in other research to the regulation of stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency — that is, the potential for one cell to develop into many different cell types. Prolonged fasting also lowered levels of IGF-1, a growth-factor hormone that Longo and others have linked to aging, tumor progression and cancer risk.

“PKA is the key gene that needs to shut down in order for these stem cells to switch into regenerative mode. It gives the OK for stem cells to go ahead and begin proliferating and rebuild the entire system,” explained Longo, noting the potential of clinical applications that mimic the effects of prolonged fasting to rejuvenate the immune system. “And the good news is that the body got rid of the parts of the system that might be damaged or old, the inefficient parts, during the fasting. Now, if you start with a system heavily damaged by chemotherapy or aging, fasting cycles can generate, literally, a new immune system.”

In lay man's terms prolonged fasting triggers the discarding of older, broken down cells that eventually lead to diseases/early death and replaces them with new cells that are regenerated - most beneficial of all would be pluripotent stem cells which would swim through the body repairing various damaged parts of our internal system - net effect: prevention of future disease and extension of life term. The above cited study only discovered regeneration of immune cells but the benefit would accrue to all cells. It is nature's secret survival weapon that stays in stealth mode:dormant and would only be triggered in famine like stress to ensure the survival of the species. This is true even in the case of say tomatoes and peanuts. Boiling them is a kind of stress and this triggers release of nutrients which make a boiled tomato and boiled peanut multiple times more nutritive then regular ones. 

Ancient scientists acquired this powerful knowledge and made a practical application to ensure longer, disease free life for humans. One only limits our information about ancient Indian knowledge to the very few books that have survived but one can see its evidence in hundreds of remarkable daily items which we may not have understood or appreciated for the wise and deep and thousands of years old science behind it. 

WITNESSING A GENIUS MOMENT

       WITNESSING A GENIUS MOMENT

If you were fortunate to witness Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Raag Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2014-all of 9.5 minutes then you will probably understand what this post is about. For those who have not yet seen this - you may want to do this on youtube. I have realized individuals are not geniuses but have genius moments. Einstein may have done a few giant breakthroughs but there were many that were not. The flourish of an artist in one artwork that beomes famous for hundreds of years punctuated by artworks that may not reach that zenith. There are very few genius moments and so to be able to witness one in our short lifespan may or may not occur. Imagine how wonderful it must be to witness Michaelangelo as he finished David. Many of us had an epiphany when Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan unleashed his short tour de force on us on the evening of the Nobel Peace awards. From the first aalaap to the thumping climax one was helplessly transfixed. When we hear a pleasing sound our brain releases feel good chemicals. Lets call it an auditory pleasure bomb. So a song may have a chorus which explodes that bomb and we want to hear it again and again till we reach satiation. His concert was a constant carpet bombing of auditory pleasure bombs. It started with powerful aalaap and then continued to pick up manic energy - fluctuating from soulful sufi wails to a pulsating rock concert. A master of his craft - he moulded raags and surs at breack neck speed without missing a note. Tumhe Dillagi was moving and an urgent plea to the lover to save himself or herself as the path of love is full of pitfalls. What command he had of his art as he launched into Sa Re Ga Ma midway. When he first uttered Ma it touched a peak of some kind difficult to describe in words. Tempo was his slave - moving up and down at his will within seconds. Mast Kalander made me want to do headbanging type of dancing. He had chosen his accompanying singers and instruments well creating a mesmerizing sound embellishing like jewels his golden voice. Any saxophone lover would have shouted with pleasure at the brief solo in Mast Kalander. At the end he switched tempo one more notch in an orgasmic climax. He left the stage within seconds of close of the last note not waiting to soak in the applause - like he already knew what was created that night - an emperor of this world for those few moments. It is an extraordinary opportunity and out of the world experience to witness genius in action. The frailties of human nature force us to wade through muck everyday regularly disappointed by betrayals, jealousies, selfishness and two facedness. Moments like these elevate us above this muck like a magic trick floating in bliss - hypnotized by the sheer brilliance - dancing in ecstasy. Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan deserved a Nobel for that performance.

INVINCIBLE SPECIES

               INVINCIBLE SPECIES

The Human species seems to be an incredible miracle in the known Universe. Its birth itself is filled with uncountable coincidences coming together - distance from the Sun-not too far not too near in miles-having an atmosphere-having ozone layer-water-oxygen-crust above water-manageable weather system-the list would go on and on. Human body is also an incredible miracle. The engineering is astounding. Amazing coding. millions of processes each with one or multiple purpose/s on autopilot. We will master it and better it in the future though increasing our lifespans by multiples. We do have so many species on our planet but none have shown the pace at which human intelligence has developed. Who knows we may be the most intelligent species in the universe - despite that being unlikely due to the sheer number of planets in the universe- but is a possibility.
Humans are at a very early development stage - still quite immature on the whole - running around with an inefficient economic system that generates millions who suffer and other millions who are comfortably numb to their suffering - selfishness-jealousies-wars over beliefs and artificial borders-disrupting the ecosystem for short term gains. We may outgrow most of these but overall maturity is still a long way away.
We are also incredibly vulnerable today. Earth itself is filled with hot lava whose explosion to the top beyond a certain quantum can cause extinction. Loss of magnetic field or ozone layer can also do the same. Whatever little that we have studied about the universe -it seems to be filled with violent events that are incomprehensible in size and intensity-any of these can destroy a small planet like ours in a flash. Having said that if we can survive from our own fallacies and all extinction causing events for a few thousand years then one staggering thing stands out: We have the potential to achieve an ability to become invincible. What is that thing?
Ans: Our ability to manipulate matter.

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field image uncovers a multitude of galaxies in a tiny region of the sky.Credit: NASA, ESA, H. Teplitz and M. Rafelski (IPAC/Caltech)Add caption

Current stage although may still be mind boggling when we can flatten a city by manipulating uranium at an atomic level is at an equivalent of cavemen era. Look at the power in matter in the Universe. So tiny that we can't see with naked eye -yet harbors enough power to cause such a violent explosion that it can wipe out a city. This is yet a minor accomplishment on the road to mastering manipulation of matter. In the future we will reach a point (if we survive till then) where we will be able to build a Sun to replace ours-transform entire planets and make them habitable. Change the orbits of planets. increase or decrease the heat of the Sun like a light bulb. For example: building of another sister planet in our orbit. We will be able to build billions of bots that will on their own mine astral bodies and converge at designated spot in our orbit to construct a new planet. Intelligent bots that would talk to each other like ants building an ant hill with each having a scale architecture of the end design and playing their part in filling the puzzle. We will be able to change properties of all known materials and build new materials due to this ability. We could create a chain reaction that would change the atmosphere of a planet. Build force fields that would protect us from astral violence. The way we have adapted to our planet and are able to disrupt various natural elements-we would be able to do that in the Universe-although a tiny part of the Universe. All this would seem unfathomable at this stage in our evolution but we have this potential in us and may survive till we reach that stage of technology maturity. A tiny sized species on a tiny planet in a small solar system in a small galaxy has the potential to become invincible.