"Except for you, Oh man, each thing studies itself first, and, according to its needs, has limit to its labors and desires. There is not a single thing as empty and needy as you who embrace the universe; you are the investigator, without knowledge, the magistrate without jurisdiction and, all in all, the fool of the farce." MONTAIGNE (1588), Essays.
Man's universe is that of cosmos into which he can barely see far enough into, the universe of things and people around him that he can see but finds them difficult to understand and the universe inside him that he can only feel. Man's inability to quite understand the universe around and within him is a remarkable irony and appears almost planned. In his ignorance about himself, man has succumbed to a belief-a belief in uncertainty which helps maintain the functioning of his macro and the microcosm. The Providence's wisdom in forcing man to believe rather than question the reality seems systematic, lest man might disobey Him. Yet, the humble creature on this planet keeps asking: Why am I? But the question, "What is this universe," must be answered before we ask the more important question, "Why there is a universe?"
Since man began to think and reflect, about 10,000 years ago, he has devoted much effort to resolve the mysteries of the universe. In Genesis, St. Augustine accepts a date of about 5,000 BC as the date for the creation of the universe. Interestingly, this coincides well with the end of the last Ice Age about 10,000 BC, when civilization takes its beginning. (Note: The earliest recorded calendar in the history of civilization dates back to about 6,000 years ago.)
Man's quest to understand, endowed with his ability to contemplate, has yielded many myths, philosophies and scientific theories. Such mental creativity has, however, not come easy or without toil. Man has paid dearly for his thoughts, ranging from crucifixion to obliteration of entire civilizations for proposing or practicing life styles based on ideas.
Man became the supreme species because he was curious-curious of things around him and within him. But his curiosity also revealed to him that with additional knowledge he became more ignorant because now he knew how much there is to know-sort of a vicious cycle because it only increased his commitment to know more. In the end he is left with many unanswered questions. Would we ever find answers to these questions? To know the realm of the universe, the principles which operate it and the place man has in this infinitely large system, we must examine closely, our surroundings and ourselves. We must do this to satisfy our curiosity and alleviate our insecurities to whatever extent we can with our macrocosm and with ourselves.
The contemporary resolution of the relationship between man and his universe is a compromise between his ability to understand, rationalize and questions the things around him and the necessity to accept things around him without questioning them. At one end of this spectrum of dilemma are the cold scientific facts and at the other the warm religious teachings. Fact is that both are same; it is the basis chosen for their interpretation that often makes them appear not in congruence. Many a prominent astronomers, physicists and thinkers of the past and the present have been ardent believers in religion and God. Human mind must not be satisfied with the scientific principles alone. Johannes Keppler, the discoverer of the laws that govern the motion of the planets, wrote a prayer in the 17th century:
"Greatest God, our Lord, great is His power and there is no end to His wisdom; praise him you heaven and glorify Him sun and moon and you planets, for out of him, through him and in him are all things, every perception and every knowledge."
This treatise does not delve in the abstract philosophic rhetoric that makes such writings unintelligible to most. Without making any tall claims about my ability to understand fully the complex theories of philosophy and science, I have tried to explain, in the simplest forms, the concepts that matter most. We must all reflect on these concepts if we are to find an eternal peace of mind for ourselves and harmony for the mankind.
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