The Living Universe by Duane Elgin Read Free Book Online

unique form of aliveness, because the life force is dynamically flowing through the fabric of the entire universe. 5 The eminent physicist John Wheeler expressed the unity of the universe in this way:
    Nothing is more important about the quantum principle
than this, that it destroys the concept of the world as “sitting
out there,” with the observer safely separated from it. . . . To
describe what has happened, one has to cross out that old word
“observer” and put in its place the new word “participator.” In
some strange sense the universe is a participatory universe. 6
    In the earlier view of a universe composed of separate objects, we could regard ourselves as independent observers; however, in the new understanding of the universe, everything participates with everything else in co-creating reality, moment by moment. As stunning as it seems, non-locality means that we each participate in the totality of the universe. In the words of the physicist Sir James Jeans, we may think that we are “. . . individuals carrying on separate existences in space and time, while in the deeper reality beyond space and time we may all be members of one body.” 7

An Ocean of Background Energy
    A second key property of living systems is that energy flows through them. What about our universe? Despite the vast reaches of seemingly empty space, is there evidence of energy flowing throughout the totality of the universe?
    Nearly 14 billion years after the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe is not slowing down, as we would expect with a mechanical explosion; instead, it started picking up speed roughly 5 billion years ago. Trying to account for this expansion, scientists were shocked to discover that phenomenal amounts of energy are present throughout the universe and are pushing it apart. As mentioned in the opening chapter, it is thought that invisible or dark energy is causing our universe to expand at an increasing rate. Recall that scientists estimate dark energy comprises the majority of our cosmos—an estimated 73 percent of the universe.
    Scientists also know that throughout the universe there exists a sea of background energy called
zero point energy
. It is called “zero point” because it is found at the lowest temperature that can exist in the universe—absolute zero. We cannot see zero point energy because it is everywhere and through everything and, as a result, it does not stand out. Although it is not yet clear how zero point energy is connected with dark energy, it is evident that stupendous amounts of background energy constantly flow through the universe. While we are just beginning to understand the nature of these remarkable energies, their existence is not disputed.
    Whatever we call it, the background energy of the cosmos is shockingly large. Physicist David Bohm calculated that a single cubic inch of “empty” space contains far more than the energy equivalent of millions of atomic bombs! 8 Empty space is a dynamicallyconstructed transparency requiring immense amounts of energy to create and sustain. This underlying ocean of energy is the primary reality. This is not simply a theoretical abstraction; a number of scientists are working to invent technologies that can utilize this background energy. 9
    In recognizing the immensity of background energy in the cosmos, Bohm said that “. . . matter as we know it is . . . rather like a tiny ripple on a vast sea.” 10 In a similar way, Sir James Jeans suggested that we think of the world that we see with our senses as the “outer surface of nature, like the surface of a deep flowing stream.” He said that material objects have origins that go “deep down into the stream.” 11

A Continuously Regenerated Universe
    Another key characteristic of living systems is continuous regeneration. To illustrate, consider how your body is being continuously renewed: The inner lining of your intestine is