Astrology!

A couple of my friends will be very happy to see this post. Some submissions first: I was a non-believer of astrology. I didn’t like the idea of a pre-determined existence. And certainly not of a ‘no-control-at-all-what-has-to-happen-will-happen’ opinion. To be honest, even now such an idea doesn’t make me too comfortable.

But let’s put into perspective what we have till now. We have known that the consequences of our actions are predetermined. We don’t have control over these consequences. Our will is free enough to choose what to do given a situation, i.e. decide a plan of action. As we exist at a coordinate in that manifestation, we have reached there as a result of consequences of decisions. And these decisions give a probabilistic view on our movement through the coordinates. One movement has some link with the previous and the next for this manifestation.

If our initial movements (for this manifestation, and without repeating this, it will be assumed from now on unless stated otherwise) are observed, then there could be a way to give a probability quotient to our further movements. The first movement in this case would be the birth. And if there could be a science that could link all this, it could very well give a ‘high probability path‘. This science, this knowledge of the movement is what we know of as Astrology.

If such a science exists, it is one of the true sciences linked to our very quest for the answers to existence. A friend of mine calls it the only true science. I don’t completely subscribe to the idea of it being the only true science, but yes, I have moved on from not believing in this knowledge pot to considering it true for a manifestation. It still has a lot of question unanswered.

Questions about the validity of this science. And since the movement is probabilistic, there can’t be a certain movement pattern. The moment one movement strays from the ‘predicted’ path, the doubts about it being a true science in the first place come in. And when we realize how we have more than a set number of choices, our movement becomes more liberated. Which means that we have more chances of transforming our pattern.  Besides, we exist on a very minute area of the universe. And our existence is not an isolated system. So to actually develop a scientific pattern on the basis of limited knowledge could turn out to be against the fundamentals. Moreover, we exist as a part of the system. We are governed by the rules of this system. And to try to find out the rules of this game while being a part of it leave us unfulfilled in the absolute sense.

On the other hand, all the above things are also true for the basics of physics. But we have been able to discover these laws and have been able to validate them through experimentation. And yes, once in a while a new rule comes up changing some of the old concepts also, but we know we are on a path which we further validate. With astrology, the questions remain about validation and consistency. And is it true for only this manifestation? This question raises a lot more questions about manifestation. Which we will delve into as we go on.

For now, can you trace your path back and build on it to see which coordinate you move to next! Happy thinking.

Parallel Existence

Moving further on Relative Quantum and our existence, we understand that each instant or coordinate we have the choice to move to the next coordinate value, and so we establish that all these values exist. If all these values potentially exist, either as a manifestation of energy or of existence, we experience all the possibilities in our ‘coordinate system‘. This system is our identity, is us. We thus are present at all these possible coordinates. And if its just a coordinate system, then there is no now, no past, no future. It just is.

Relative Quantum

I actually wanted to call this post ‘Quantum Relativity’. That wouldn’t really have been accepted well by some physicist friends. So we go with Relative Quantum, which is actually in the right order that I wish to describe things, but not really the best sounding phrase.

Anyway, without going into the details of the physics (and I will try to keep away from it!), if you believe in Relativity; and now we’re talking pure Physics, it restricts free will. How? In simple language, if relativity is a theory to be believed in (and the chances of that are really really high!), then you dwell in this continuum called Space-Time.

What is this Space-Time?

In our world that we live in, we see things in 3D or 3 Dimensions.

We generally denote them by X, Y and Z. And any point in space, we define by these three coordinates putting them as (X, Y, Z). For example, a point (3, 4, 1) would indicate that it is a point in space 3 units in positive X direction, 4 units in positive Y direction and 1 unit in positive Z direction, all from the origin or the point of reference. The image clearly states the obvious.

And we are so used to living in this world of 3 dimensions that its just natural to us to be in it not marvel about how significant this description of space is. What if we were to add another dimension to this? It is obviously very hard to imagine this fourth dimesion in a physical sense. Where do you put it? Because the ‘space’ as you see it can be clearly defined by these three coordinates. There is no ‘space’ for this fourth dimension!

But when we talk about Relativity, there is a fourth dimension, and this dimesion is Time.  The moment time becomes a dimension, it means that any ‘point’ in this Space-Time can now be defined by these four coordinates (X, Y, Z, T), where T stands for Time. The moment we do that, i.e. make time a dimension just like the other coordinates, the concept of free-will goes for a toss.

Here’s how. If time is just a dimension, then just like our 3D space, you can define every point with its dimensions. Effectively meaning that Time is already out there. You are at one location that can be defined by these four coordinates. Your next position will be defined by another set of numbers. What you are at some value of this combination of (X, Y, Z, T), you are something different at some other values. What is there at each coordinate combination is not visible to you, but is already out there. You just have to step on that position to be able to experience it. So whatever you choose to do, you just live an outcome that is not under your control. It just is! And there are zillions of these combinations of X, Y, Z and T. But the reality is that they just are, and you can do nothing about it. It really makes one feel helpless once you believe this and you will go miles to prove otherwise, but this is the reality (or the relativity ) where we stand today.

There are two theories of Physics that are so exclusive that Physicists have spent decades trying to combine the two without much satisfaction. Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. And Quantum Relativity is a term used by physicists to describe a potent combination of the two. Hence my mighty effort to refrain from using that term for this post.

Gravitation and Relativity act on large distances, macro level if we may call it. Quantum Mechanics on the other hand beats all the laws of Physics as we have studied them classically. And is predominant at a micro level. And a potent question arises. How do we define what is macro and what is micro? Just because we know the world as we see it we try to define it in macro and micro levels? Can’t the definition of this macro and micro change if something new were to come up? Then why two exclusive laws? There has to be ‘general law’ that governs us all. And the search continues!

But lets bring Quantum Mechanics into our existence. If we consider Quantum Mechanics, then there are no certainties. There are only probabilities. According to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, the position and momentum of a particle cannot be both known simultaneously. The more precisely one is determined, the less precisely the other can be known.

Coming back to us and the role of quantum mechanics in our lives and keeping Relativity in mind (so what if they can’t combine them theoretically, we will try to do it for our purpose of living and existence!) everything is a probability. Now when you think about Chance and Choice, whenever you need to decide something, i.e. take decision on anything inconsequential or of super-consequence, there are choices that you have. And these choices are many. Just many. Out of these choices, it is highly uncertain about what you choose. The more precisely you think of one choice, the lesser is your momentum to be able to see the other options. And the more you think about your options, lesser are your chances to pin down on one selection. And all of this depends on how wide can you see or how much can you visualize on these choices. Your actual chance of choosing one option is only a probability, not a certainty. This probability is governed by lots of factors (including your nature, bringing up, thought process, all of which are re-connected to the choices that you made at other times in life). That is the role of Quantum Mechanics in your thought process. So you have the freedom to visualize these options and choose one according to your will. The probability of you choosing one over others  may be higher, yet you control the actual choice.

But the instant you choose, our earlier process of relativity kicks in. Based on your choice, your coordinates change. And you land up on another set of coordinates that are already there. That means the consequence of your choice is not under your control. You are control only till you make that choice. The moment you switch-on that one option, your free will ends and you just live the consequence!

This is just a starting point to get you thinking. The more you think, the more choices you see, the more chances you could take, the lesser with clarity you may be able to see the consequences of those actions and more you may get perplexed!

Happy thinking!

Choices, Chances and Decisions, Repercussions

Given any situation, we are required to take a decision. Think of any regular day and any regular chore or activity. When we get up in the morning. ‘Do you want to wake up or not?’ ‘ Do you want to sleep more?’ ‘Do you want to suddenly jump up?’ ‘ Do you want to fall on the floor?’ Or when you meet someone, again you have decisions to make. Decisions starting from how do you wish to greet the person. With a ‘hi’. With a ‘hello’. With a slap! With a high five. The choices are multifold.

Some of these choices may not be viable according to you. Some of these choices might be outrageous. What is important to understand is that these choices exist. And there are infinite such choices. We may not be able to visualize them or perceive them, but they are there. So as a result our ‘decision’ is limited by the number of choices that we can visualize given any situation. And that’s the important point!

Your decisions in life are governed by the number or quantum of choices that you can visualize at that instant.

So when you meet new people next time, you might behave in a particular fashion because you have decided out of the options to act in that way as you deem apt. But the options are there. As insane as they may sound, you have the option to jump around when you see them, hit them, hurt them, be nice to them, not be nice to them, loot them and so on…

Given any situation, understand that you have the liberty to think in any direction you wish to. And realization is the point of beginning. So think wild, whacky or just be creative with your thoughts. You may not necessarily exercise them in your manifestation of existence.

The repercussions of these decisions obviously vary. We’ll try and understand how these choices and repercussions exist in the next post. We will also discuss why the ‘choice and chance’ phenomenon is so important. And how it is linked with theories of physics.

The Idea

The idea of this blog is to contemplate on a variety of questions and some thoughts on the same.  Questions about us. About how we, as a part of this universe, act under its influence. And why we think the way we do, or act the way we act. About how does this universe function and its impact on us and human beings. About how significant or insignificant are we in this schema. About how theories of physics impact our lives and their relation with the way we in which we exist.

Its a quest about trying to understand the basics. The basics that govern our very existence. A quest to answer a lot of ‘whys’ that come up in our lives everyday but we choose to ignore them, not because we don’t want to find out; but because we don’t have immediate answers and the questions seem to be too consuming to interfere with our daily lives.

The idea is to ignite that spark. To just start process of thinking about the basics. A lot of minds working on the same idea can come up with a variety of ideas that may culminate into something that may not be significant, but will satisfy our hungry souls that are currently wandering about looking for answers without a start or end in sight.