We are a Way for the Universe to Tell Its Story

Occasionally I’ve written about what I think of as the scientific history of the universe. That’s the story of the mechanics of the cosmos starting with the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago and tracing the creation of the first stars and galaxies and eventually the planets, and then on to life. It’s a compelling history and astronomers and cosmologists are still inking in the details as they learn more about things like dark matter, dark energy, and so on. I like the story, mostly. What I don’t like about it is that it seems to put humans at the top of the evolutionary chain that stretches back all those billions of years. And, that’s most emphatically NOT what cosmic history is about. There is bound to be other life out there, other planets teeming with biota of some kind–and each of those is also part of the evolutionary tree.

There’s another way to look at this bounding evolutionary story, and that’s from the standpoint of something that the late Carl Sagan once said, “We are a way for the universe to know itself.”  I don’t think he meant just you and me and the tree on the corner.  He meant Earth and all the structures it contains and the life it bears.  “We” in this context are part of a living, breathing construct that encompasses Earth and all the stuff it contains. And, in our DNA, in the structure of the rocks and trees and lakes and continents and seas and deserts and microbes and all the life that surrounds us, is encoded the story of the universe. Our bodies contain elements first created in the Big Bang, and others that were created and cycled through one or more stars. Our planet has the same makeup. That makes us part of the cosmos that I’m not sure we fully appreciate yet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be treating each other and our planet as if all were disposable.

What brought all this to mind tonight was a program currently appearing on PBS called the Journey of the Universe. It is billed as an epic story of cosmic, Earth, and human transformation, and it is a very nicely done exploration of the evolution of the universe and our place in it,and the evolution of our consciousness along with everything else. It’s both a film and book project, hosted by evolutionary philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme and historian of religions Mary Evelyn Tucker.  Their story is nicely woven, bringing together scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, and biology and infusing them with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the universe. I found it a very poetic and compelling program to watch, and as I did, I wondered just what sort of universe has evolved that allows us to use the miraculous consciousness we’ve all evolved with to do great things like explore the cosmos, create art and music, create families, and learn to live with other living beings on the planet. Unfortunately, some people among us also use that same consciousness to do things like trash the planet, exploit animals, kill other humans, use spiritual beliefs to foster hate, and use political power to foster misogyny, ignorance, and fear.

When I look at the stars, I see where we came from. I see where we’re going. And, I often wonder (as the authors of this lovely program do), what we are going to become—and I see what we will have to overcome in order to move forward in step with the evolution of the cosmos.

If you’re interested in a spirited, open-minded look at the cosmos, us, and our place in it, check out this program. The web page I linked to above has a list of screenings on PBS and in various towns and cities. It’s worth checking out. It might just give you some pause for thought.

Stars and Veterans

My dad is a military veteran. He fought in the U.S. Army in the Korean War and was one of the lucky ones to come back alive. He was also the person who first got me started in astronomy, taking me out to look at the stars when I was probably just barely old enough to know what those lights in the sky were. He’s always been fascinated with space and astronomy and has a couple of telescopes and I don’t know how many books about the subjects. I can proudly say that if it wasn’t for him, as well as my mom’s push for me to get good grades (which I didn’t always do) and be a reader (which I DID do), my own interest in astronomy might never have bloomed.

So, this one’s for you, Daddy, on Veteran’s Day—for coming home and making sure that I got bit by the star bug, and for being such a star-hopper yourself!

Veteran’s Day is the U.S. variant on celebrations like Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other countries. It’s a time to thank the men and women who are in the armed services who have served their countries in times of peace AND war. Regardless of how you feel about war, soldiers (whether your own country’s or those of other countries), the day is there to remember their service and sacrifices. It’s a very human holiday and I can’t think of any country in the world that doesn’t owe at least some measure of thanks to those who served.

There’s an interesting connection between war and astronomy. In the really olden days, war planners consulted the stars for propitious times to do battle. Why, they even had Mars—their very own god of war. Later on, the development of the telescope (while not strictly a military invention) allowed ship captains to spy out their adversaries at sea, and land-bound armies to see their enemies coming long before battle.

Today’s astronomers (vet and non-vet alike) benefit from instruments that were developed for military use. These days, such things as adaptive optics and remote sensing are giving us unprecedented views of the cosmos. Those technologies were largely developed for military use (either during wartime or for “intelligence” purposes).

I kind of like to think that these technologies are transcending their warlike roots. At first they’re used by people who are awarded stars for bravery and valor. Now, they’re delivering the stars to everyone, a graceful and wonderful Veteran’s Day/Remembrance Day gift.

Daddy, Pete Petersen,  Grandpa Collins, Rollie, Tony and all the others who served — THANK YOU!