On Space and Treif.

Unlike the narcissist in the White House, I am very self aware.

I know people come to Roundseventeen to watch me bloviate about the demise of advertising and go down in a glorious ball of self immolating flames. They don't come here to see me wax poetic about the nature of the cosmos.

Too bad.

Last Sunday I watched a fascinating piece on the Hubble telescope and the images it has been beaming back to earth for the past 25 years. It's jaw dropping. Particularly when the photos are analyzed by super smart galactic physicists and contrasted with the ramblings of the Aussie-born ark Builder Ken Hamm, who insists the word of Genesis are the truth and that the Earth is only 6,000 years old -- a few years older than Jackie Mason.

It also got me thinking about my own theory regarding the time/space continuum.

I don't pretend to know much about astronomy, physics, or even the Biblical teachings of some very learned goat herders who scribbled down their incoherent thoughts on papyrus some 3,000 years ago.

Here's what I do know.

With regards to space, it is infinite. It is infinite in both directions. There are no endpoints. If you could strap yourself into a rocket ship that travelled a million times faster than the speed of light and aimed yourself in the general direction of the Milky Way, you would never reach the outer boundary of the universe.

Never.
There's no wall.
There's no border.
There's no nothing.

And even if there was, what do you suppose would be on the other side? The mind reels.

Similarly, if you were to split an atom -- a feat accomplished by crazy Pakistanis and deranged North Koreans alike -- you'd find yourself on another never-ending journey. Beyond the protons, elections and neutrons are smaller subatomic particles. (You can look up the names, I have some banner ads I have to get back to)

Here, too, the journey into deep small space would never, ever end. And I would hope you packed plenty of snacks and extra underwear.

If you find yourself scratching your head, you're not alone. Our brains are simply not equipped to come to grips with this notion of vastness or for that matter, infinity. In some ways it's like our own Electoral College.

That's one half of the time/space continuum shattered.
Which leads me to the concept of Time.

It seems reasonable to me that if Space exists with no boundaries on either side, so does Time. In other words, Time will never end. Nor did Time ever begin. like space, it's infinite coming and going.

"I see where you're going with this, Rich."

Meaning, perhaps it would be wise to rethink our understanding of cause and effect. Yes, a toaster oven didn't just come to be. Someone had to design and make it. But the cosmos is not a toaster oven.

Maybe it wasn't created. Maybe there was no Big Bang. Maybe it was just always here and will always be here. And maybe there just is no God.

Now I'm looking at the photo again. I see thousands and millions of stars. And billions and billions and trillions of mile of space. If there is a God, I find it hard to believe he or she is worried whether I put bacon bits on my salad.