Is The Universe a Friendly Place?
“I think the most important question facing humanity is
“Is the universe a friendly place?’”
-Albert Einstein
I’ve always been intrigued by this question. Einstein goes on to say that if we feel the universe is unfriendly we will construct walls and build weapons to keep us safe. If we believe the universe to be friendly we will endeavor to understand it and our purpose and meaning in life. He concludes with a caution that if we choose to believe the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly “then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice”.
True, but doesn’t it make you wonder; how do we form our ideas about the universe?
I believe we form our opinions, our answers to this important question, when we are very young. The circumstances of our birth, our early childhood, and our family dynamics; parenting and peer interaction all contribute to our conclusions. And that’s a precarious thing because these things are outside of our control. If you believe as I do that our opinions are formed at an early age then you too are left with this question: who is orchestrating the conditions of our arrival here?
Consider my niece, Melanie, and her first child. Baby Eli was born into most fortuitous circumstances. Melanie and her husband lived with her parents for nearly three months after his birth which gave his grandparents and two aunts daily contact with him. His every peep was responded to immediately; he was held, adored and tended to constantly.
Do you think he felt the universe was a friendly place?
More importantly; do you think the idea he formed about life during those first months will be carried forward into his childhood and his adult life? I believe it will. Eil got a wonderful start in life which, I believe, has created expectations which will manifest positive outcomes for him which will further reinforce his belief that the universe is a friendly place.
I believe the universe is a friendly place. I was lucky too; my early years led me to that conclusion. But what do you do if your early years didn’t do that? The ideas you formed then are hard-wired into your brain. It is possible but not easy to change deeply-held beliefs especially when what you believe is your “reality”; something that your entire life has verified.
Do you believe the universe is a friendly place? Have you ever changed your mind about this? Did you come by this conclusion naturally because of the conditions of your childhood or did you make this determination later in life?
photo credit: Eli’s aunt – yes, that’s our Eli!!