Thursday, July 5, 2012

HIGGS BOSON AND OUR SLIVER OF TIME


Like many others, I find myself endlessly fascinated by the historic discovery of the Higgs Boson, the so-called "God particle" that is responsible for the creation of mass  of any kind.  "Without it," as David Horsey writes in today's Los Angeles Times, "the universe would fly apart and we would have much more to worry about than a jobless recovery, immigrants sneaking across the border or the fate of "Obamacare."

This is good news, of course, because there is enough chaos in my life without the universe flying apart.  Nonetheless, it's important to keep the Higgs Boson discovery in  perspective.  According to my understanding, the discovery does not change the fact that ninety-six percent of the universe, referred to by cosmologists as dark matter and dark energy, remains unknown and will probably never be known. Moreover, as Horsey writes in his fine LA Times article, there is more to human life than the subatomic particles:

Things so small and things so big boggle the human mind.  Immediately, they conjure the ultimate unanswered questions: If all matter is given mass by the Higgs boson, where did the Higgs boson come from?  It has been nicknamed the "God particle" because it makes everything else possible; did God make it?  If so, where did God come from?  Did this all start with a Big Bang and without a creator?  What set off the Big Bang? And what came before it?  And before that?
The news about the "God particle" is one of those challenging bits of information that can make everything else feel terrifyingly insignificant.  It is a reminder that each of us is merely a tiny, carbon-based organism existing for a brief moment on a small planet that, by the scale of the universe, is no more singular than a grain of sand on a beach.  We are dust in the wind, utterly inconsequential in the dark expanse of time and space.
At least that's one way to look at it.  Another way to see it is that, in all that vastness, only we are aware of the awesome complexity.  Only we strive to know and understand.  All the rest is mere physical phenomena.  What we do in our brief lives on this small planet may be the only thing that matters.
Thus, it behooves us to use our sliver of time well.  We can waste it watching "Dancing With The Stars" or we can reach for the stars.  We can squander it being petty, cruel, selfish or destructive, or we can be creative, compassionate, kind and just.  The Higgs boson may glue this universe together, but we are the ones who give it meaning.
The "God particle" has a big job to do in the infinity of the universe, but on Earth, as John F. Kennedy said, "God's work must be truly our own."
Yes, we may be little more than dust in the wind from a cosmological standpoint, but "what we do in our brief lives on this small planet may be the only thing that matters."  Now there is a thought that makes me want to stand up, applaud, and sip champagne with the discoverers of Higgs Boson.

30 comments:

  1. Lovely to welcome you back George.
    Yes, wasn't it lovely to see this wonderful man honoured last night - so touching. He has really devoted his life to this study - it cost him his marriage and his private life - although i read that he and his wife are still good friends. Such application is amazing.

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  2. What?
    You mean to say we - on earth - are not the centre of the universe, and I, personally, am not the most important creature in my own universe?

    George, sometimes I wish I could understand Higgs Boson and what the physicists are doing at Cern, but I doubt I ever will. Which leaves me tilling my little plot, being as appreciative as I can of my minute little span on our minute little speck of a planet and hoping that, eventually, I will disappear into the great cosmos and thus become a part of it.

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  3. Thanks, PAT. Yes, it was gratifying to see a man honored for the confirmation of a theory that he advanced almost fifty years ago. One has to admire his dedication and commitment. I assume that he will soon receive a Nobel Prize.

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  4. Thanks for the comments, FRIKO, and let me assure you that you that, notwithstanding our denials, each of us remains the center of our respective universes. Not even Higgs Boson can change that.

    Understanding Higgs Boson is not nearly as important as how we live our lives. That, I think, is the main point in the David Horsey article. It's clear, therefore, that you are on the right track with the day to day tilling of your little plot. We will all be folded into the cosmos eventually and that will be fine with me, though I do hope that we can continue to till our individual plots a wee bit longer.

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  5. I'm so glad you've posted this excerpt from the Horsey article. I want to look into more of his writing, as what he said appeals to me and where my thinking is on the Higgs Boson "discovery." The sentence you chose to highlight in a quote is the one that really is the crux of it, and definitely worth celebrating.

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  6. Hi, TERESA. Good to hear from you and I'm delighted that you found something meaningful in the Horsey article. I would suggest that you go to the L.A. Times and read the entire article. It's quite interesting.

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  7. From the little I understand of it, the discovery of the hitherto theoretical Higgs bosun now explains why all the other particles in the universe act and interact in different ways according to their mass. They are all reacting in accordance with the underlying Higgs field.

    But where does this really get us? As is asked in the article: where does the Higgs bosun come from? We are one step further forward in scientific knowledge, but little further forward in explaining the ultimate questions. 'God particle' is misleading — we are no nearer to God now than before. We would not expect to be so, as it's not the job of scientists to deal in metaphysical matters ('metaphysical' as in 'beyond physics'). This is one rung higher up the ladder of scientific understanding, maybe house roof level, but the top of the ladder ends in the stars. (This is not to talk down this astonishing theory/discovery, for which Higgs certainly deserves a Nobel prize — though I believe there at least four other scientists who could lay claim to it.)

    'Only we strive to know and understand." Well, perhaps — but what about other intelligent life forms in the universe of which we are at present unaware, some of them indubitably more 'intelligent' than us?

    And Friko — you are part of 'the great cosmos' already..!

    Thanks, George, for this interesting, stimulating post.

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  8. Thanks for the thoughtful comments, ROBERT. I agree with everything you say. According to my understanding, most scientists are rather chagrined at the use of the term "God particle," which came about because an American scientist and writer referred to the Higgs bosun as "that Goddamed particle," which prompted his editor to insist upon referring to it simply as the "God particle." And, yes, there are no true theological implications of this scientific discovery, for we are left with myriad other metaphysical questions about the original source of creation. Nonetheless, it's all rather fascinating, and it leaves me with more awe and wonder, not less.

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  9. As usual, you stimulate my thinking George. I have always thought myself to be a mere speck in the overall cosmos - important only in my small way (perhaps only in my own Ego). Nature teaches that it is impossible to weigh overall importance of part to whole because of the domino effect, which may be beyond understanding. Even minor changes/disturbances can ultimately effect the whole. We humans bungle along usually not realizing the effect we'll ultimately have in the whole scheme of things. I don't know how this discovery will effect our understanding of the universe. But, I thank you for the stimulating discussion. I hope you're well, George, and are having an enjoyable and productive summer.

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  10. Thanks for your lovely and thoughtful comments, BARB. Yes, I agree with your thoughts about the impact that a part—even a single act by a single person—can have on the whole. It's often referred to as "the butterfly effect," the notion that large, dramatic changes can be precipitated by something as seemingly minor as the flutter of a butterfly's wings. Our only task is to do our part, to move forward in a world that will always remain beyond the grasp of our complete understanding. The rest, I suppose, is not our business. In any event, it's great to hear from you, and I wish you and your family a very happy summer in your beautiful Colorado.

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  11. While digging into this appetizing reflection on such an astonishing yet ungraspable milestone in the development of human knowledge —especially the point about how such discoveries can exhilarate and humble us at the same time— I recalled a quote from José Saramago that I have long cherished: “God is the silence of the universe and man is the cry that gives meaning to that silence”.

    Hope you are well, George. I know I have been completely silent of late, but I am still around and gratified to be enjoying our blog …

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  12. Great to hear from you, LORENZO! I love that Saramago quote. It really gets to the heart of things.

    No apologies needed for your silence in recent months. We all need it from time to time. Until yesterday, I hadn't posted anything for a couple of months, and, as you undoubtedly know, Ruth's blog and been placed in hibernation.

    We usually grow when we break up the patterns of our daily existence. Whatever the case, I'm confident that we will all remain the closest of friends.

    With the daily headlines about the European economic crisis, and Spain in particular, I often think of you. I hope that all is going well with you and your family.

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  13. Coming here today all my particles rise up and praise the love of friends. I think what I hear you saying, George, is that meaning is what holds us humans together, and is our own god particle. Hear hear, hip hip hooray, and cheers to every bit, part and meaning in my universe!

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  14. Thanks, RUTH, my friend. I think Dorsey has it right here; it is not particle physics, but rather people, who give meaning to life. We are the co-creators and creation is never finished. Perhaps it is the hope particle that keeps everything spinning.

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  15. I heard a BBC science correspondent compare the finding of the Higgs to the discovery in 1897 by JJ Thompson of the electron. It might have seemed esoteric and insignificant to most people at the time but it has shaped the technologies we use today in ways no-one could imagine then. What effect will the work of CERN (and other institutions like it) have on the technologies of the 22nd century?

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  16. Thanks for the comment, DOMINIC. Yes, I think this Higgs Boson discovery will have significant long term implications for science. Slowly but surely, science seems to be confirming what the great wisdom traditions seem to have already known, specifically, that we are all interconnected, physically as well as spiritually.

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  17. I need time to tconsider the implications - I hadn't given it much thought before but all the fuss suddenly made me think.

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  18. Thanks for the comment, JENNY. I hope you will stop by for another visit. Most of our discussion on this site is non-scientific in nature. Higgs Bosun, however, is a discovery was too fascinating for me to ignore.

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  19. We are co-creators, yes. I love your answer to Ruth in regards to the "God particle". I also loved you answer to Friko regarding growing up... that it is onward :)

    I like your image... I'm sure you created this with your camera. Hope this finds you well and enjoying your summer!

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  20. Hi, MARGARET, and thanks for the comment. Glad you like the various comments on Higgs Boson, growing up, and other subjects. As for the summer, it's been hot, as you well know, but we endure. Hope all is well with you and your family.

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  21. It just occurred to me this morning, George, that the "God particle" discovery could be one of the very interesting shifts in consciousness that I consider to be what the 2012 phenomenon is about. Rather than an apocalypse, I think of 2012 as a possible pivot for humans to step into greater awareness, spiritually and existentially. Perhaps it is not a happenstance that the Higgs Boson was a breakthrough in this year.

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  22. Thanks for the additional comment, RUTH. We certainly need a shift in the collective consciousness of the world, and I would welcome it happening in 2012. What percent of the people, however, would know anything about Higgs Boson or other evidence of our interconnections? I suspect it is infinitestimal. Along these lines, however, may I recommend a documentary to you — Tom Shadyac's "I Am," which is available through Netflix. The film says a lot about the illusions under which society operates, and the unseen reality of our interconnectedness.

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  23. Thanks for the film rec, George. I saw a glimpse of Coleman Barks in the trailer. I love the unexpected conclusion after the quest to find out "what's wrong with the world." It's on my Netflix queue.

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  24. You will enjoy it Ruth. Coleman Barks quotes Rumi several times in the film.

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  25. Just came across this joke on another blog, George, and thought you might like it!

    Higgs boson walks into a Roman Catholic Church. Priest says, "What are you doing here?" Particle says, "You cannot have mass without me."

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  26. Thanks, ROBERT, for rounding out this discussion with something that is totally useful—a little laughter. Who would have thought that humor can be found in particle physics?

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  27. Welcome back.
    Thought provoking post - my favourite lines are:

    'we can be creative, compassionate, kind and just. The Higgs boson may glue this universe together, but we are the ones who give it meaning'.

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  28. Thanks for the comment, CAIT. Glad you found something of interest in this posting.

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  29. thanks for putting Higgs Boson in some perspective.. I get Newsweek and Time and NYTimes and so have been reading about it.. you are right.. i think it just opened up more questions than answers.. but good to put ourselves in the bigger scheme of things.

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  30. Thanks for your comments, DONNA. Good to hear from you. And, yes, while Higgs Boson is fascinating, we need to remember that it is the human heart, in all of its dimensions, that gives meaning and purpose to life.

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