I’ve always been fascinated by astronomy. It teaches us that we live in an expanding universe composed of a vast number of galaxies, each of which is composed of a vast number of stars. In fact, in 2016 astronomers discovered that there are at least ten times more galaxies in the observable universe than previously thought, estimated to be about two trillion. And yet here on Earth—just one planet revolving around one star—every blade of grass is unique, each with its own history and composed of its own microscopic complexity. The same can be said of every pebble on Mars, or any object on any planet. The fact that every imaginable spot in the universe’s utter vastness is filled with continuously evolving intricacy boggles and humbles the human mind; it’s beyond measurement.
I was sitting on a park bench one afternoon, watching a quaint, yet intricate, scene of people, birds, trees, etc., and pondering the amazing infinitude of the universe. In particular, I wondered, how could such immensity perpetually and consistently manifest such detail and order? What came to thought was an analogy that has really changed my perspective.
Consider numbers and the various mathematical operations that can be done with them. We all know that there are infinite numbers, and that there are infinite ways of calculating numbers in accord with mathematical laws. All of the infinite manifestations of math exist at the same time and in the same space; or rather, they transcend the concepts of time and space because they exist not as material objects, but as the consequence of mathematical laws. And every mathematical derivation is exact and correct, because math itself is exact and correct. This doesn’t boggle us; it’s how math is.
