They thought of themselves as #Americans, #Chinese, #Republicans, #Democrats, believers, or atheists

In this text, the author discusses his lecture on #Einstein's #specialtheory of #relativity and the mathematical equations for one of his basic ideas, the so-called invariance of the space-time interval. The author, a cosmology professor, is discussing the meaning of life with a student named Oona Fitzgerald, who asked him about it. The author recalls Dr. Barker's response to the same question, which left the author feeling foolish.

The author shares with the students that almost none of us knew our true identity, and that this strange situation came from the tiny worlds in which we lived. They thought of themselves as #Americans, #Chinese, #Republicans, #Democrats, believers, or atheists, but each of those identities might be true, but each is secondary truth. There is a deeper truth: we are universe. The universe made us. In a most primordial way, we are cosmological beings.

The author then explains that we need to ride inside the #mathematical symbols to understand this #truth. They begin with the primal light discovered in 1964 by #Penzias and #Wilson, which arrives from all directions and leads to the birthplace of the universe. This cosmic #microwavebackgroundradiation, which comes from all directions, is the origin of our universe. This colossal sphere, fourteen billion light-years away from us in every direction, is the origin of our universe.

The author argues that empirical evidence points to a time fourteen billion years ago when our universe consisted of a colossal sphere made of light and primal atoms of #hydrogen and #helium. That colossal #sphere transformed itself into stars and #galaxies, and everything else in the #knownuniverse. As this sphere moves forward in time, it evolves under the action of expansion and contraction. This dual action of expansion and contraction sets in motion the creativity that has given rise to every existing entity in the universe.

The author then explains that the meaning of life can be found in the flow of energy through our hands, which came from the beginning of time. No one in history knew that the expansion and contraction of the #universe transformed primal atoms into #stars and #galaxies, nor did anyone know the quantum field theory and #generaltheory of #relativity that govern this sphere of light. Now, we know the mathematical dynamics by which the universe brought itself forth, and these same dynamics are coursing through us. Our bodies churn with creativity rooted in the beginning of time.

In that moment, the author feels the simple truth more deeply than ever before. They are the colossal sphere, all of us, rooted in the #cosmic #microwave #radiation and primal #atoms speaking of their fourteen-billion-year existence.

Oona Fitzgerald, a #Catholic student, was hesitant to discuss her decision to change her major due to her course in #physics. The students watched in silence, and the author felt a strange intuition that the universe, held together by #mathematical #structures, was breathing them. As the students left the classroom, the author felt foolish and #embarrassed. Oona came over, smiling and wore a simple yellow dress, and announced that she had decided to change her major. The author was surprised by this decision, as she had been a fan of her music career for a month. The author asked her family members if she had spoken with them about this decision and if it was a good one. Oona turned back and said that she loved the course but was unsure about the decision. The students shuffled around the hallway behind her, and the author thought of calling her back but had nothing to say. This article was first published in October 2022 and updated in October 2023.