Linear Thinking

For some time, I have pondered on the genius of Albert Einstein. In no uncertain terms will I ever claim to have even a rudimentary understanding of the math this man grasped. My brain aches any time I attempt to understand how Einstein was able to work through complex algebraic and geometrical math before breaking them down into a layman's philosophy.

As human beings, whether we grasp this concept or not, we think linearly. Even in our youth, teachers forced us to create "timelines" in English and history classes. For those of us lacking real math skills, those timelines also looked like integers that our math teachers made us map out; tick marks, positives and negatives, with zero always the midpoint.

Einstein's Theory of General Relativity opened a whole new way of thinking for scientists. Brother Albert once claimed that if the human could see far enough, he/she could see the back of his/her own head. He claimed that space and time were not mutually exclusive, but that one lived because of and with the other. In that context space IS time, and the rate of speed in which we accelerate through space dictates the passing and rate of time spent in motion. Is your head hurting yet?

 The curvature of the earth is a remedial example of this theory. If we look at distances between countries on opposites sides of the planet on a flat map, our brains see distance and time spent traveling in a linear fashion. However, a pilot will fly a plane in a wide arc up and away, or down and away, to save flight miles and time spent in the air to cover the distance.

"What does any of this have to do with my blog entry," you may ask? Well, I am of the notion that Einstein's theory was given to us to not only help us understand the finite universe, but to lend a hand to humanity in the way we think and see ourselves as creatures occupying an area at a given time. My belief that we are all interconnected through space, time, and our human-ness, runs parallel to my notion that we are also weaved together by our ancestors.

My point? If space and time are curved and spherical like everything in nature, is it unreasonable to believe the beginning of mankind stands immediately next to us in the here and now? If this concept is to be believed and understood, it should also be comprehended that we are indelibly connected to one another AND we are truly meshed with everything in space and time.

Yes, I understand the gravity (ba-da-bum) of this entry, but I honestly believe that we, as a species, must attempt to look at our world in a broader more spherical context, rather than distance (or time) from point a to point b. When we do that, we are forced to be kinder, more understanding, and *gulp* happier.

"Space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality." ~Albert Einstein