Relativity and Reality

Hello! It’s great connecting with you. I know you’re swamped and the title of this blog is baffling, so I’ll make my best attempt to decipher it in elementary terms. We all hang out with energy when we are still or when we are active and we are also adept in accumulating energy. As you may recall from school days, Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity states that energy equals mass times the speed of light squared (E = mc^2 ). In simplest terms, it means energy and mass are interchangeable. Under precise conditions, you can convert energy to mass and vice versa. It is said that an average adult has enough energy to explode with the force of several hydrogen bombs if only we knew how to liberate it. But energy doesn’t vanish. That’s why stars burn for billions of years. Accordingly, in nature energy given is yielded in some form.

A similar viewpoint can be applied to our daily lives. We expend energy in different forms such as walking, working, cooking and so on. Every spent energy has its own perks. Unlike in physics where energy can be quantified, this energy has a qualitative attribute. Every human who is made up of billions and billions of atoms is a living field of energy. I think this has a huge influence on who you’re drawn to. I’m sure most of you can think of a time when you met someone, you connected instantly or reversely something was off. Some people have a welcoming vibe and we love being around them because consciously or not we gain strength from them. Some are natural at it and some cultivate it. I suppose it is substantial to bolster these aspects than to unriddle the whole life. Concurrently, there are some people who are all about doom and gloom and we are instantly put-off. While such people may claim to be “realistic”, they speak only from their negative standpoint. Being realistic isn’t being negative. This particular aspect may be subtle but it’s what others will absorb and reflect back. So my point here is that emotional energy is transmittable and plays a key role in relationships.

Now going back to Einstein’s equation, aren’t you curious why is the speed of light squared? It’s because of the nature of energy. When something moves, the energy increases to the tune of the speed of light squared which is a very huge number. So essentially, for a specific mass the amount of energy bound up inside is startling. That’s how radiation works. But for those who aren’t into such fancy experiments I shall present a fun example, I weigh 55kg and if I put this value in the equation E= (55kg)(3.00 × 10^8m/s)^2 , it is roughly 4.9 trillion Joules of energy. So next time, when someone questions your potential, tell them that they have not the faintest inkling of it. Here’s a fun fact – having solved several puzzles of this universe with the stroke of a simple formula, Einstein applied for a job as a university lecturer and was rejected. But he kept contemplating and reasoning. So never lose heart even under adverse situations.

Some years later, Einstein came up with the General Theory of Relativity in which he explains that time and space are relative to the observer and the thing being observed. There is a quote that is generally circulated around to explain this theory. It says “Sitting with a pretty girl for an hour seems but a minute; sitting on a hot stove for a minute seems an hour. That’s relativity”. I don’t know if Einstein actually said that, but it is a beautiful analogy. Time flies when you’re having fun. Isn’t it? Einstein’s theory says, if you move really fast you will slightly alter time and space. Although negligible, you will be relatively younger than a person standing still. In other words, you will experience a slower passage of time. Of course such difference is too tiny for us to detect. But we experience other forms of relativity. When you walk across a construction site, the noise might be annoying. As you move away from the spot, it seems quieter. That is certainly not because the construction noise is quieter but because your position relative to the space has altered.

In our lives, the length of time and space perceived by the brain depends on our exposure. As a child time seemed to go on and on, while as an adult I see time zooming past me. I’m sure you can relate to it too. So how do we slow down time? Children spend a lot of time exploring the world because it’s totally new to them. We don’t do the same, because we’re familiar with the world. The more we relish moments of our life by giving attention to details and by creating more memories, time will appear to move slower. Just bring back yourself to the moment. It keeps your brain healthy. And it’s not about focussing only on positives. It’s about noticing what happens in your life both cheerful and miserable.

Thanks for bearing with my rambles. Life’s in the moment!