Infinity and Me: Reflections on Life, Science, and the Meaning of It All
By Joanna Gates | Originally written 3/31/23
Inspired by “The Universe” series with Morgan Freeman
Where It All Began: A Spark of Wonder
I remember the basics from my old science books—dinosaurs, the Big Bang, the evolution of mankind. But something happens when you go beyond the textbook and step into the infinite. You begin to ask:
Where did we really come from?
Where are we going?
What is the miracle that makes life possible here, and not elsewhere?
Watching The Universe series cracked something open in me. Suddenly, the Big Bang wasn’t just an event—it was a cosmic exhale of infinite possibility. The planet Earth, our delicate blue dot, came into being not by chance alone but through a series of mind-bending, miraculous events.
Life as we know it emerged when water molecules—carried on particles of cosmic dust—collided with light and energy. These particles, trapped in Earth’s molten core, were eventually pushed out into our atmosphere, shielded only by the ozone layer. Without that protection, we’d be no different than Mars—dry, barren, devoid of rain.
And yet… life sprouted. A single blade of grass holds enough complexity to boggle the mind.
The Trip to Infinity—Or a Visit to the Self
This journey of discovery isn’t limited to telescopes or equations. There’s a different kind of journey happening here on Earth—through psychedelics, altered states, or moments of deep introspection. These experiences stretch us, shake us, and can even shift the very temperature of our collective consciousness.
At the center of it all is awareness.
Some live indifferent.
Some are overwhelmed.
Some are open.
Some are closed.
But no one escapes the miracle. We all feel it when we glance at the moon, watch clouds shift, or marvel at the chaos of weather—and yet we complain, forgetting we’re riding a rock through space, orbiting a flaming star, held together by invisible threads of magnetic gravity.
To Matter, or Not to Matter? That Is the Infinite Question
In the face of infinity, what does anything matter?
It’s a question both humbling and empowering. Whether you believe in science, God, energy, DNA, or the divine pattern of nature—what we know is this:
We are made of atoms.
We are made of stories.
We are made of stars.
To truly live is to recognize that the difference between watching TV all day or building a dream, helping others, creating something beautiful—it’s everything. And yet, in the grand scope of infinity, it’s nothing.
This paradox is what propels us. The pull of wanting to contribute, to create meaning, to evolve the human experience and etch our names—if not in history, then in someone’s memory.
Finite vs Infinite: The Fabric of Reality
There’s a fine line between the universe being finite and infinite.
Black holes, folds in spacetime, and wrinkles in the cosmic fabric make us wonder—what lies at the edge of everything? Is there an edge at all?
Before light… there was darkness.
Before form… there was formlessness.
Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. And yet, rebirth.
So what do we make of this? If it’s all a happy accident, then life is both meaningless and the most meaningful thing we’ll ever know. If it’s a divine plan, then perhaps God is Mother Nature. Or maybe God is that which binds it all together—science, soul, energy, love.
The Quest: Riders in the Storm
In the end, we’re all riders in the storm. Victims of life—or masters of it?
We bend spoons with thought, generate energy with ideas, carry the memories of our ancestors in DNA. Evolution is not just a biological truth—it’s a spiritual necessity.
And not knowing? That’s the very fuel of our becoming. The quest, the pursuit, the awe and intrigue—these are the compass points guiding us toward deeper awareness.
Final Thoughts: The Miracle of Awareness
Every moment is a chance to marvel at the miracle of existence.
We live in a time where we can look out into the cosmos and back into our own cells. We can contemplate both the black hole and the blade of grass.
And so we ask:
What does it matter what I do or say?
Everything.
And nothing.
Because in the infinite fabric of existence, meaning is what we make of it.
And awareness is the gateway to becoming.