WAVES

January 8th, 2021

I played cribbage with my dad today. I asked him how he was doing, and the sign he did with his hand was a gentle current, like this photo of a sound wave, representing that he was in a constant state of feeling up and down.

Our universe is made of vibrations; everything macro (planets and stars and galaxies) to micro (the quantum world that we can’t see with the naked eye). We also know vibrations by their sonic qualities, perceptible to the ear.

Of those who know of the vibrational quality of life, some assume the universe is the instrument, but The Jazz of Physics gave me a different perspective.

The Big Bang is a familiar principle; first there was nothing, and then there was everything, and there are many related theories. Modern science also knows that our universe is ever-expanding, and may keep growing indefinitely. The universe, the singular resonant instrument, creator of the infinite possibilities inside.

But what is the universe isn’t an instrument? What if, like my dad’s hand, representing his highs and lows, the universe itself is a wave of sound?

That would mean that there wasn’t *a* Big Bang; it would mean that there are many. It would mean that our universe will not keep expanding; it will eventually start to contract again, so small that it will begin the next upward swing, the next Big Bang, the next birth of our universe.

And if the molecules of our existence are musical notes, what if the universe improvises? What if it’s different every time? What if this is the only time the universe exists in such a way that we exist, too?

Think about it: why are humans the only species (that we know of) able to not just appreciate math and music, but also comprehend how they work? Math and music are the languages of the universe; is it possible that, this time around, the universe created a being who would exist to understand it? Could our purpose really be as simple as appreciating the same universe that gave us life and the ability to appreciate it? Note that this scientific theory doesn’t exclude someone who believes in a singular creator by name; replace “universe” with the deity of their faith and it means the same.

That’s the magic of science. That’s the magic of a wave. It can explain our entire existence. And it can explain how we’re feeling when we lose the loves of our lives.