It’s Turtles, All the Way Down

There are ideas that are too big to get your mind around. Georg Cantor was a mathematician that was born in 1845 and died in 1918. He was known as the father of modern set theory. He was the first to discover that there are different sizes of infinite set. It was so disturbing to him that he spent time in a sanitarium in 1884, suffering from depression due to the criticism that his ideas attracted. He suffered bouts of depression throughout the rest of his life.

There are a number of these kinds of ideas in physics as well. In particular, there is the many worlds theory. It postulates that there are an infinite number of parallel universes. Everything that can have happened, could be happening, or may happen in the future, has in fact happened in one of those universes. And what’s more, they have defined four different types of infinite parallel universes, all independent from each other.

I have been pondering these ideas lately and I have to admit my head is beginning to hurt from it. It occurs to me that nothing that we can imagine doesn’t exist in some universe. What’s more, there are infinitely more worlds that we can’t possibly imagine. So that leads to the question, what does a writer actually do? Channel one of the myriad worlds of the multiverse? It makes one want to start every story “Once upon a time in a universe somewhere in the vast infinity of the multiverse…”

If all these universes exist, then it means that faster than light travel is actually possible. We are not alone in the multiverse. And time travel is possible. And the discovery of these technological marvels is imminent. In fact, in one way it might be argued that I just did discover them. Of course, I couldn’t take credit for these discoveries. There have been numerous people that imagined these wonderful things before me. Jules Verne, H G Wells, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov to name several.

It puts my humble efforts in perspective. I guess I’m looking for the perfect universe with the perfect story to establish myself as a working writer. I don’t expect it matters much whether you create a place with your imagination or channel it from the Akashic Record.  It does seem to set off tremors in my head when I try to do it. I don’t know whether to be scared or grateful.

It helps me deal with the strange goings on in this world today. I was reminded of one of my favorite aphorisms today. Life is a journey, not a destination. It has been said so much it has become a tired cliche but it also holds the kernel of wisdom. My bags are packed. Let’s see where this life takes us.


Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.