"We Need an Intellectual Challenge"

The human body is amazing. I went to bed last night and decided I wanted to sleep undisturbed until 9:00. This is my new tactic in dealing with my insomnia- making an absolute decision about the state of my sleep and willing myself to adhere to it. Lo and behold, I awoke exactly at 9:00, completely refreshed, totally content, and very very cozy. By 9:03, I was already thinking, okay, what next? So after some morning wandering and a cup of Peet's Coffee, here I am.

So, what is next? I found this video over at Kitsune Noir this morning. Stephen Hawking is always interesting, and, according to him, the key to our past and future lies in the cosmos. Old news, I know. The man's been saying that for years, but what struck me this morning was how the cosmos exists as the alpha and omega of scientific understanding and can simultaneously shed light on the beginning and the end of our world as we know it. Again, this is not a particularly unique thought, but when it comes down to our human wandering and desire for understanding, it's funny that we look to the one place (the infinite places?) we know essentially nothing about and rake through atomic matter with the hope that something will click and BAM, we will have everything understood. And even if that does happen- then what? If we knew the secrets of the Universe, would our quest for knowledge and our desire to live be stunted? Would a scientist who knew the key to the Universe sit back in his armchair and say, "Job well done!" and never again feel the desire to rise? Or would he move on to cure Cancer or build enzymes that protect bananas from contracting Panama Disease or... or what?

I don't know.

Pink Terror Hawking from mike barzman on Vimeo.

"All we need to do, is make sure we keep talking."
-Stephen Hawking