The Binding of Light

Space and time are relative; it is the speed of light that is constant. From this brilliant insight comes a fascinating corollary; at the speed of light there is no concept of distance and time stands still.

Imagine beams of radiation spreading across vast distances, travelling across eons. But that is our perspective. For light, the source and destination are one, and there is only a singular moment of existence. To us the universe seems mostly empty, dotted with rare and beautiful structures, but at light speed it is all interconnected; a single point, here and now.

What really happens when light falls into a black hole? Does the sense of space emerge even for light? Does the stillness of its existence stretch into the flow of time?

I see in this an allegory for the human mind. A distinct self, cut off from the universe, caught in the relentless flow of time. Yet deep down the mind’s true nature seems timeless and boundless.

Could natural selection give rise to this? Or did life harness the pre-existing light of consciousness in the struggle for survival? Does the brain give rise to experience or does it simply channel awareness into a reduced point of view?

Eventually, even black holes evaporate. In those moments that the self dissipates we can glimpse an awe-inspiring truth; none of the boundaries that appear in mind are as absolute as they seem. Here and there, then and now, self and other; it is all relative.

Inspired by this talk by Peter Russell.

 

_{Photo from NASA}