Thinking big

Entropy and decay - the unavoidable consequences of existence. This fragile life we lead sometimes leads one to a contemplative chain of thought, a private discourse on the nature of mortality and our place in the universe. Perhaps the ephemerality of our being leads us to draw conclusions that this is not all there is, that after death we are not merely snuffed out but continue in some way we don't understand. Or perhaps, we eschew these notions of life-after-death as mere wishful thinking and fear of dying, accepting that oblivion is the more likely endpoint. The universe doesn't need everlasting souls in some alternate dimension to operate; it worked for billions of years before us, it'll go on for billions afterwards.

And is there any point in thinking about "before" and "afterwards"? Is time simply a human construct for conveniently marking out our tiny, linear lives? Is it a single-dimension, distinct from space, divided into discrete "frames" that keep the cosmos in some sort of order, or is it an all-emcompassing oceanic ether through which we flow, affecting even the very gravity we need to exist?

These thoughts have been flickering through my mind recently, and it makes me consider the impact the world has on our consciousness, about how the greatest philosophers must have taken their muse from reality to formulate their hypotheses, the best minds must have been open to influence from their day-to-day lives.

And my conclusion? Well, the most profound thoughts I have ever had have been thought before, for thousands of years, by greater brains than mine. But that doesn't make my notions any less worthy, and I should not be afraid to articulate them.

I think I should clean my fruit bowl out a bit more often:

That, my friends, is a lemon. Next to the plum (I think).

Perhaps a close-up is required:


There's got to be a metaphor for life there, hasn't there?