Universe

The Answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything is 42

pity this busy monster, manunkind,

not. Progress is a comfortable disease:
your victim (death and life safely beyond)

plays with the bigness of his littleness
- electrons deify one razorblade
into a mountainrange; lenses extend

unwish through curving wherewhen till unwish
returns on its unself.
A world of made
is not a world of born – pity poor flesh

and trees, poor stars and stones, but never this
fine specimen of hypermagical

ultraomnipotence. We doctors know

a hopeless case if – listen: there's a hell
of a good universe next door; let's go


-- e. e. cummings

I was very glad to learn a few seconds ago that scientists have begun to think of our universe in terms of fruit. However, I'm not too happy with the actual 'first fruits' of this research trend. Why does the universe have to be the size of a not too cheery grapefruit just after Big Bang? Such fiddly fruit – they always need sugar and take ages to open up. Or was that God's metaphor for the human species?

According to Merriam-Webster:

uni*verse (noun)

[Latin universum, from neuter of universus entire, whole, from uni- + versus turned toward, from past participle of vertere to turn – more at WORTH]

First appeared 1589

1 : the whole body of things and phenomena observed or postulated : COSMOS: as

a : a systematic whole held to arise by and persist through the direct intervention of divine power

b : the world of human experience

c (1) : the entire celestial cosmos

(2) : MILKY WAY GALAXY

(3) : an aggregate of stars comparable to the Milky Way galaxy

2 : a distinct field or province of thought or reality that forms a closed system or self-inclusive and independent organization

3 : POPULATION 4

4 : a set that contains all elements relevant to a particular discussion or problem

5 : a great number or quantity <a large enough ~ of stocks ... to choose from --G. B. Clairmont>

I remember that story about a guy working at an open-air mine at the foot of a mighty mountain. The sunbeams were so hard on his naked back that he wished he would become the sun. His wish came true instantly: he became the sun. He sent out his beams all over the world and felt very powerful. All of a sudden a large cloud appeared and blocked the sunbeams. At once he felt very weak and wished he could be as powerful as a large cloud. And instantly again he became a large cloud blocking the sunshine. But the wind wouldn't let him settle in one place and would even blow him away. He wished he could be as powerful as the wind and yet again his wish came true. He started traveling around the globe shattering clouds and provoking hurricanes and sea storms. But as he swept across the continent, he came to a complete stop because of a very large obstacle: a huge mountain. He wished he could be that mountain, and...you know.
As a mountain he felt very strong, as though he would be there eternally. But he was annoyed by the sound of a hammer, the hammer of a miner carving through his foot with his naked back tanned by the ruthless sun...

What few understand is that if the universe is expanding...into where is it expanding?

everything , including you , me and the computer you're sitting at right now

Some people say the universe is curved. This means that if you travel far enough, you will eventually catch up with yourself.

Speak for yourself – I shall have much better things to do in the Universe than worrying about where to keep all my stuff. Indeed, I'm looking forward to being entirely without mass and weightless – free at last of all the heavy burdens of gravity....