« And whatever you do Love is everywhere you look In the slightest corners of space In the slightest dream where you linger Love as if it were raining Naked on the pebbles »
« One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye. »
« God does not play dice. »
I present to you here an essay on my vision of humanity’s place in the Universe, in which I put forward arguments that are my own and are not based on any scientific proof. This essay’s sole pretension is to present you with an appealing way of seeing life that opens the door to spirituality. That said, it is not purely an exercise of the imagination; all the scientific data that follows is verifiable.
According to scientists, the characteristics of the universe in which we live depend on about fifteen physical constants. Among them are the mass of the proton, the speed of light, and the gravitational constant. It seems that a variation, even a slight one, in some of these fundamental constants would not have allowed life to emerge in the universe.
LIFE IS A PERMANENT MIRACLE
For example, life cannot develop if the cosmological constant or dark energy have values that are too high, as they would then prevent the mechanism of gravitational instability and, consequently, the formation of galaxies and stars. And whether it’s the mass of the proton, the density of the universe, or the ratios between the 4 fundamental forces, scientists conclude that minute modifications to their values would prevent the elements essential for life (such as hydrogen, carbon, or heavy elements) from forming. This is what in physics is called the fine-tuning of the universe: if it were not exactly as it is, we would not be here to observe it. This observation gave birth to the anthropic principle, according to which the fundamental parameters on which the Universe depends are set so that it allows for the birth and development of observers within it at a certain stage of its development.
To these considerations necessary for the appearance of life in the universe are added the conditions necessary for the appearance of life in a solar system. The size of the star, the size and composition of the planets, their distance from the star, and sufficient distance from a harmful source of gamma rays all come into play. When we try to go into the details (read this article) to better understand the role of each of these parameters, we realize just what a high-precision mechanism it is. For example, the presence of water on Earth (considered indispensable for life) is thought to have been brought by multiple “random” collisions with comets (which contain water) during the formation of the solar system. And the moon, which stabilizes the Earth’s axis of rotation, makes the climate more stable, which favors the emergence of life. Etc, etc.
INTELLIGENCE IS EVERYWHERE IN NATURE
Let’s zoom in a little more on the life that unfolds on Earth. Recently (from a scientific point of view, at least) we have learned that trees, although devoid of neurons, are nevertheless capable, among other marvels, of communicating, defending themselves from predators, and helping each other. Not to mention that they know exactly where to grow their branches to capture the maximum amount of light. Where does this intelligence come from, do you think? From a simple algorithm selected by nature? Then what about the experiment by Toshiyuki Nakagaki (this link leads to a website in French. To read it in English or another language, simply copy the URL and paste it into Google Translate https://translate.google.com/?sl=fr&tl=it&op=translate) which showed that amoebas (microscopic single-celled creatures consisting essentially of a drop of protoplasm enveloped in a flexible, porous membrane) were capable of finding the shortest path out of a maze? And at an even more ‘simplistic’ stage, we don’t even know how proteins (these basic structures of our DNA) form amid all the possible combinations to obtain the correct structure that allows for proper functioning.
In summary, the progress of science does not so much allow us to better understand life as to bow before its complexity, which far surpasses our intellectual faculties. This improbable complexity favoring life amid all these parameters finds an intellectually acceptable explanation only by considering that an intelligence manifests itself through all that lives, whether there is a brain or not. Moreover, at our human level, anyone can observe that the important choices in our lives are in no way the fruit of cerebral agitation, any more than the intuition that guides us in the vital moments of our existence. There is, in passing, a comforting conclusion to be drawn: living one’s life in good harmony does not depend on our intellectual faculties.
THE MYSTERY OF ENTROPY
Furthermore, it seems (this is at least what we observe on Earth, and I will hypothesize from there) that life manifests itself as soon as the conditions are right. From a primordial soup, molecules form, single-celled beings appear, and, progressively, life organizes itself and moves inexorably towards complexity. It is as if there were an energy that allows matter to structure itself to become alive. In other words, we can consider that an energy endowed with intention accompanies life in all its processes (from the formation of proteins to DNA mutations) to allow it to adapt to living conditions and pursue its designs towards the emergence of an ever-greater consciousness.
For matter to structure itself and go against the natural evolution of entropy, it is necessary to bring energy into the system. An energy that would be abundant, everywhere in the universe, and about which we know nothing because it is invisible to our eyes and our instruments. Wouldn’t the ideal candidate be this dark energy that has been the subject of so much ink for 20 years because we know nothing about it except that it represents 95% of the universe? Yes, only 5% of the universe is visible and measurable; we are completely ignorant of the rest… This observation must, I believe, encourage us to be humble and to relativize the extent of our knowledge.
So, rather than considering the appearance of life in the universe as a sum of improbable chances, wouldn’t it be more serious to consider that the dark energy that makes up 95% of the universe is animated by an intention that favors life in the far reaches of space?
WE ARE A SPARK OF THE DIVINE
I invite you to continue these metaphysical considerations by considering that the universe is a living fabric and that we, human beings, are cells of this fabric, each with a job, a function to perform, as is the case for the cells in our body. If amoebas, fungi, trees, etc., are guided by life even though they lack neurons, it is a safe bet that we too are guided by this intelligence, this omnipresent dark energy. Yet this is not what we observe around us; the majority of humans struggle to find meaning in their lives, if they consider there is one at all. The reason is simple: we have partially disconnected from the intelligence of life through the artificialization of our environment and the consumption of food unsuitable for the primates we are, which impairs our proper functioning. This disconnection of humans from life is glaringly obvious during a tsunami: the animals are warned and flee; we, we remain without understanding what is about to happen to us…
Let’s draw a parallel with our body: when a cell in an organ is healthy, it does its job as a cell and in return it is protected by the immune system, receives food and oxygen according to its needs, and its waste is removed. When that same cell is clogged, polluted, then it functions poorly, dies faster, or is even eliminated by the immune system if it becomes dangerous for the survival of the organism, unless it escapes the mechanisms of apoptosis (cell death) and a tumor develops. Exactly the same phenomenon is happening on our planet. The diseases of all kinds that are spreading everywhere have the paradoxical role of healing the ailments of our soul (cf. Jacques Martel’s dictionary of diseases); they are there to help us make the right decisions, to see what is important in our lives, and to choose love over fear.
IN CONCLUSION
Considering that the appearance of life and its staggering complexity is due to chance, when 95% of the universe is unknown to us and the most primitive organisms show a form of intelligence, does not hold water for a second. As living beings, we are part of a greater whole that we call the Universe, a true living fabric of which we are cells with one or more functions to fulfill. For this, the intelligence of life guides and helps us, provided that our cells are functional enough to raise their vibration and connect to it. There is no secret to this: It is vital to have a sufficiently healthy and hygienic life, both on a physical, mental, and emotional level. The Universe will then reward our efforts with health, joy, Its support, and Its protection. Just as any organism takes care of its cells when they fulfill their role…
Moral: Let us serve life and life will serve us! The Universe is hiring, think about it !
