An Ode to The Universe

I have always been fascinated by the Universe. An abyss of the unknown, stretching for millions of miles across time and space. Isn't it strange that it has existed for aeons, yet, we haven't been able to discover even one per cent of it? A boundless void of time and space, strange and mysterious, hidden beneath a sheath of darkness. Yet there is always hope. So many theories, so many speculations. There is so much in the Universe that is unknown and ambiguous, right from the tiniest of atoms to gigantic galaxies. It is as if every atom is an entire universe in itself. I often find myself wondering what is it that makes space a wondrous reality? A dark blanket, contrasting with blacks and yellows, and the occasional white, stars which dot the blanket in an intricate pattern. This is space.

What is the universe but 'one verse', one song of love? For it is when love flows most strongly, I feel the interconnectedness of all beings. It is as if beneath, around and within our reality, there is this one creative force, an energy, an intricate, chaotic yet synchronized beating heart of life. That's the way the Universe feels to me-- a silent melody of creation shining bright as the night sky. Where distance is immaterial, so is speed, and the idea of time is flexible. When one is fully plugged into the creative force, the energy of our creator, we all become one, one team more than one being, yet that 'one' is so much more powerful than many. Out there, in the vastness of the dark region of infinite potential, we can succeed beyond the bounds of any limits. It is like the penny at the bottom of the pool. Curiosity always seeks the penny.

We’re not bound by this world nor are we bound by fear. Nothing chains us to anything but our perceived idea of things being linear. Who hasn't gazed up at the sky and not found themselves speculating about these infinite probabilities? Alternate universes, with traces of life, other celestial beings who may be wondering about the same plausibility. It is a myriad of mystery, probably because there is so much left to discover that we find ourselves drawn towards the unknown. The more we discover, the more we realise that we haven't. Things that are, that shouldn't be, things that should be, but aren't. It doesn’t take a genius to reflect on the possibilities of the great spacious sea that is our Universe, just like an artist. We humans are tailored this way, I feel. We find meaning in the mundane, through books, flowers, music and constellations, looking for an escape, our souls really weren't made for this world.

''Believe something and the Universe is on its way to being changed. Because you've changed, by believing. Once you've changed, other things start to follow. Isn't that the way it works?''

If we were to condense the entire 13 billion years since the formation of the Universe into a single calendar year, the Bing Bang would occur on the 1st of January and life would emerge in the last 14 seconds on the 31st of December. And humans? well, we won't be here until the very last second of the very last day of the year. If creation is the poem of the universe, we are but a speck of ink upon its page. It is indeed a humbling experience.

It just takes one look--one gaze up at the sky and all your worries dissolve. The Universe illuminates the darkness and fears crumble to dust beneath your feet. The words, the lies, the hatred, the failures--they now linger at a distance. For one moment, everything feels alright. We, at least for the time being, are conscious of our place in this vast reality and it does truly astound me. And those are the moments we feel so connected to the root of our being, it is as if we are one with the Universal Consciousness and honestly, in times like these, it is not hard for me to believe in God. The Earth, wind, rain and sun, God's wondrous lego kit shaping everything from the atoms that matter so much. Who else could have materialised this vastness of time and space?

Did you know that the atoms of our bodies are traceable to stars? These stars were fabricated by atoms in their cores and then they blasted these charged elements across galaxies billions of years ago. For this reason, we are all biologically related to every other living thing in the world. Even all the trees and plants on the surface of the Earth are united through an intricate web of roots and plant matter running deep underground. We are chemically connected to all molecules on Earth. And we are anatomically connected to all atoms in the universe. We are not figuratively, but literally stardust. Isn’t that just amazing? My body is a literal universe in itself, my veins have stardust running through them, my heart is a galaxy and my mind is the sun. My outer body is a layer of space concealing an entire nebula and my scars are a constellation waiting to be explored.

I would call it beautiful, but even that wouldn’t do it justice. This is something you can’t describe or tell anyone about to share the experience, not even something you can capture in a photo. You can only know by experience, only seeing them through your eyes will you be able to perceive the beauty. It is just an intricate mesh of stars, planets and galaxies, then what makes the Universe so special? I’d never figure it out. Maybe it’s the reality of it. The mystery. The eternal enigma. It feels like a breath of fresh air, a great leveller, which makes me wonder if maybe life's troubles are frivolous in the face of this enchanting reality. And anytime I feel inferior, confused or let down, all I have to do is look up at the stars!

-A.