In the Beginning--Kapow!

‘In the beginning’, was the way the paragraph came up to racing speed, and I mention only because I remember how odd it seemed at the time. But that's a side issue and need not detain us here. The book was written by a prestigious member of the Carnegie Institution’s geophysical community named Robert Hazen. I only mention that for legal reasons. What I really want to tell you is that this paragraph contains one of the most fascinating scientific observations of the century on the subject of the origins of the Universe.

The book is titled, “The Story of Earth,” and the paragraph continues to say that all space, energy and matter came into existence from—nothing! I know! According to the author, before the Big Bang, there was nothing and then, in an instant, there was everything needed to make...well, to make today.


This is the point where we raise the eyebrow and direct one of our patented looks at Mr. Hazen and the rest of the astrophysicists, if that's what they're calling themselves these days. And why do we raise our collective eyebrows? Because, of course, we've heard it said a thousand times that scientists don't put any value on ideas for which there is not a single shred of evidence and yet this is exactly what they would have us believe.


Where is the evidence that something can come from nothing? You will find no evidence for it in this world. In making this astounding claim, the astro-scientists are putting themselves in the company of creationists and magicians.


But that's not what I want to explore with you today. I know that you're time is valuable and I don't want to wast a moment of it. No, the real punchline came when the author hauls off and let's have it on the ear bone with this natty observations: “The concept (there being nothing one moment and the entire univers the next) is beyond our ability to craft metaphors."

I admit, this statement left me non-plussed for probably two or three seconds, and I meditated on it as Ms. Wonder and I began our hike along the American Tobacco Trail. I continued to focus on this conundrum with unusual ferocity for some time as we entered that zone of village chaos, with the bicyclers, the double-tandem strollers, the roller-bladers, the “on your lefters” and whatnot.

So focused was I that a near collision ensued with a passing perfect Stormy as she legged it along the trail with a hearty “what-ho” and possibly a dog or two in tow, possibly. I was still paying close attention when we made the turn and headed down the home stretch for the finish line—so fiercely observant was I that I almost missed M. Beck, training for the United States Marine Corp marathon, even though she was tootling me as she passed.

It was at the moment that this Beck was “Hi Genome-ing” that I had an Archimedes moment. You will remember Archi, plashing around in the bath tub, sloshing water all around and shouting 'Eureka!' and whatnot. Not that I wouldn't have done the same in the circs. And that's just what I did shout when the mental machinery sorted through all the data and I found just the metaphor that the author of the book thought beyond our ability.

How had I not seen it right away, I wondered. It was in front of the nose all along. In fact, it was in front of the paragraph. The metaphoric explanation--contained in a very famous book, by the way--for the concept of everything in the Universe coming from absolutely nothing in a flash begins with those same words—“In the beginning….”

I'm sure you saw it immediately. Can't get anything by my loyal fans. And, come to think of it, I'm sure Mr. Hazen realized it too. He was just teasing us. Don't you think so?