7° of Freedom: June 2009

Friday, June 19, 2009

The fourth dimension?

For a long time now, everyone at one point of time or the other has wondered about the 4th dimension. That there exists a world beyond ours, something that we believe exists but are unable to communicate with. Many of us have convinced ourselves that the fourth dimension is that of time. And that there is no way for us to break this barrier to communicate with the world beyond.

Having thought about this thing long enough, one thing seemed to stand out. The concept of ghosts, UFO's, aliens....the list is long. What if the barrier was not time? What if the barrier was we, ourselves? Confused?

Now we all know that there exists 105 or 107 elements (or so I thought....I checked it up and now there seem to be 118 elements). Anyways, we humans, animals and all living creatures are made up from few of these elements that we know exist. Our life and our world consists and revolves around these elements that we know. We can touch, feel, hear, sense, eat, breathe, drink (and maybe see?) anything that's made up of these elements.

Now what about the elements that we don't know about? We humans use tools, devices, technology and knowledge related to these elements. How could we believe that we could somehow tap the other world when our basic make-up, knowledge and basic existence revolves around only about 100 odd elements?

It is very much possible that there exist many more groups of such 100 odd elements, right here, right where we sit. And it is also possible there exist forms of 'life' made out of these different elements that we are inherently limited from discovering or knowing. We have our world made out of the elements we know. Our perception of the world will revolve around these only. At the same time, this Earth may seem to be made of different elements to life-forms made from a different set of elements. They may perceive this very world and space in a very different light. In fact the perception itself may depend upon the set of elements that their 'life' is made of.

Coming back to the point where I started, it is quite possible, that there are many life-forms around us, on this very Earth, living a life along with us, parallel to ours while we are busy searching for them somewhere else. And maybe the ghosts and aliens and other life forms that we talk about are merely due to some error in some elements, crossing boundaries they were not supposed to cross.

And Look out for these videos on TED

Alan Russell on regenerating our bodies
Alan Russell studies regenerative medicine -- a breakthrough way of thinking about disease and injury, using a process that can signal the body to rebuild itself.

Debate: Does the world need Nuclear Energy
Nuclear power: the energy crisis has even die-hard environmentalists reconsidering it. In this first-ever TED debate, Stewart Brand and Mark Z. Jacobson square off over the pros and cons. A discussion that'll make you think -- and might even change your mind.

Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero!
At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.

Why we do What we do
Tony Robbins discusses the "invisible forces" that motivate everyone's actions -- and high-fives Al Gore in the front row.

Keith Barry does brain magic
First, Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping (and even a bit dangerous) feats of brain magic.

Inside a school for Suicide Bombers
Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy takes on a terrifying question: How does the Taliban convince children to become suicide bombers? Propaganda footage from a training camp is intercut with her interviews of young camp graduates. A shocking vision.