Symmetry : the cardinal rule of universe
Most of the cynics or skeptics believe that universe seems to exist or working without any order and system and thus is out of balance or inherently unstable. They believe in the “Chaos Theory” according to which we live in a chaotic universe that, in many ways, is completely unpredictable and thus meaningless too. Chaos is thus defined as “science of surprises or accidents” and Chaos Theory accordingly deals with nonlinear things that are effectively impossible to predict or control, like turbulence, weather patterns, the stock market performance/indicators, traffic movement, accidents, our mood or brain states etc.
The truth is that we are always living between the opposites or two extremes: life and death; yin and yang; good and bad; day and night; hot and cold; pleasure and pain; beauty and ugliness; darkness and light; fast and slow; heavy and light; deep and shallow; high and low; up and down; right and left; hard and soft; wealth and poverty; abundance and scarcity; noise and silence; visible and obscure; far off and near; fame and anonymity; thick and thin; happiness and sadness; simple and serpentine; short and long; love and hate and the list goes on.
However, these opposites are not just contrasting concepts or conflicting ideas that help us make comparisons and thus sorting or categorizing things enabling us to make better choices. On the contrary, we achiever a sort of symmetry or harmony by balancing these opposing phenomena or forces. In other words, it is through their unity (or unity of opposites) that we achieve non-duality in a deep sense. Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus also talks of an everlasting term Logos ( (traditionally meaning word, thought, principle, or speech) according to which all things are one, in some sense as there is the underlying connection between opposites.
Many science authors are also of the view that ‘physical parameters of the universe are so delicately balanced or fine tuned that if some of these parameters were slightly changed, the universe could no longer support the life or make existence of life possible. According to American Museum of Natural History, our earth is most suitable for all living things to survive: it is the right distance from the Sun, it is protected from harmful solar radiation by its magnetic field, it is kept warm by an insulating atmosphere, and it has the right chemical ingredients for life, including water and carbon. Thus symmetry is rampant in nature.
Another example of balancing forces in nature is that of electricity. The movement of the electrons creates electricity. Electrons transmit an electrical charge through solid matter (such as metal) to produce an electrical current. And according to laws of physics there are two types of electrically charged (charge is physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field) objects — those that contain more protons than electrons and are said to be positively charged and those that contain less protons than electrons and are said to be negatively charged. In short, all sources of electricity must have a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and electrons will always flow from the negative to the positive through a conductor (copper wire, for example). Thus when positive and negative meet we get brightness. Moreover, oppositely or unlike charged objects attract each other and objects with like charge repel each other.
However, there is also another charge that is an object with no net charge. And it is referred to as electrically neutral. And, interestingly, both objects — whether positively charged or negatively charged — will have an attractive interaction with a neutral object. What does this mean? It means that Electrically neutral atoms simply possess the same number of electrons as protons. This gives the objects a balance of both type of charge. It can also be called “Equilibrium” that can be an ideal state too. And when we are free of both negative charge (fear) and positive charge (desire) our mind is in the best state of “Equilibrium” which in other words means we are in heaven or have best conditions for mental well being. We can also call it a heavenly or divine state.
And, although, the number or symbol “0” (neutral state) is also usually associated with the concept of emptiness or the void, but in many spiritual traditions, the void is seen as a powerful and transformative energy that can bring about great change and transformation. In numerology too, the symbol “0” is often seen as representing the infinite, the boundless, and the endless potential of the universe. Thus in the Bible, 0 represents God and His divine nature. But to know God we must have the ability to decipher the cypher.
Newton’s third law “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” also represents a certain symmetry in nature: forces always occur in pairs, and one body cannot exert a force on another without experiencing a force itself. Thus what we send in the universe (through our thoughts, speech, and actions) we receive it back. In other words Our thoughts, speech, and actions are like a boomerang. What we throw is what comes back to us. If we release positive energy, we will receive positive energy and vice versa. Thus if we want to be happy, we should make others happy. As simple as that.
Another wonderful example of symmetry or beauty of symmetry in universe is that of “sun set” and “sun rise” when both “east and west” as well as “darkness” and “light” meet together to make a fascinating view. Often we find ourselves mesmerized by the spectacular combination of colors painted across the sky as the sun rises or sets. We are also wondering as to how many colors come to light at this time of day. Why is this the case? Why are some views of sunset or sunrise so extra special?
Scientific explanation is that “as sunlight travels through the Earth’s atmosphere, it gets scattered (changes its direction) by atmospheric particles. Light of shorter wavelength is scattered much more than light of longer wavelengths. And at the time of sunset or sunrise the scattering of light is the greatest when the sun is near the horizon. As the shorter wavelengths are scattered, only red light is left. Thus the sun appears red during sunrise and sunset.
However, this scattering of colors gives us a sense of symmetry rather than a sense of chaos.
Ultimately, life is like a march (showing symmetry) on the parade ground called earth. We are continuously marching like soldiers as the drill sergeant (or universe) keeps saying the cadence “Left… right… left, right, left, right…” to make sure everyone remains within the limits (while moving forward) and steps on the proper foot at the proper time. And when you are asked to “stand at ease” (SAME AS IN THE OPPOSITE POSITION OF “ATTENTION” EXCEPT THAT FEET ARE SPREAD APART ABOUT 30 INCHES) you bring the heels together smartly by moving the left foot only and on line forming a 45-degree angle and keep the legs straight without stiffening or locking the knees. The body is erect with hips level, chest lifted, back arched, and shoulders square and even. However, in both positions (“attention” and “standing at ease”) you keep the right foot in the same spot and move only the left leg. It is, in my view, because right also represents the truth. You might go left (or wrong) as far as possible but truth firmly stands there and you can’t go far away from the basic truth.
And last, but not the least, point is that “love” is also a symmetry of emotions or feelings and when two people are in love they are in a most beautiful and symmetrical relationship.
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References:
i) https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/03/opinions/alpha-cern-antihydrogen-opinion-lincoln/index.html
iii) https://iep.utm.edu/heraclit/
v) https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/planet-earth/why-is-the-earth-habitable
