Asking the Right Question

"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special." - Stephen Hawking

How does the universe work?

The smartest people in the world have been working on this question for centuries. Some say we've made progress, though I'm not so sure. See, when it comes to big questions like this, there are many factors to consider before even attempting to come up with an answer.

First of all, in order to come up with an answer for something, you have to know what you're asking. More on that later.

Another important factor to consider when approaching a big question is the method by which you plan to answer it. With a complex problem such as the mystery of the universe, you’re not going to get very far in solving it unless you have some sort of system; some sort of organized method by which you can track your progress and begin to comprehend this complex subject that you are choosing to explore. 

A system is also important because it will help you not only organize and understand things for yourself, but it will help others understand as well. In helping others understand your way of thinking and your system, you can then start to build credibility, and perhaps community, around it. This brings us to yet another factor to consider: belief.

Any progress we’ve ever made in understanding things, like the true nature of the universe, is built upon a belief system. Religion, philosophy, spirituality, science, astrology, politics.  These are all belief systems. Some systems use sense. Some use logic. Some use a little bit of both. Regardless, they all help establish a general consensus about things, and help keep us in check when we go off to explore the big stuff.

So, if you have a big question, there may already be an established belief system in place that can help you answer it. If not, you could always form your own belief system. Ah. Yet again, we’ve arrived at another - and perhaps the most significant - factor to consider when approaching any big question: you.

The universe is everything. You, a human, act merely as part of it - an origin point from which you can observe the universe - everything - around you. And not only can you observe it, you also have the ability to perceive it however you see fit. This ability forms your own, personal perspective about the nature of the universe and your place as part of it. It is your consciousness, and it is responsible for any question that you have ever asked.

So, back to my first point about knowing what you're asking - do the smartest people in the world want to know how the universe works? Or, do they want to know how the universe works as it relates to their own human experience of it? Logic or sense?

Who are you?

A reminder about probably the coolest thing that we humans have ever done

The Golden Record. Credit: NASA

"4 billion years from now, when our sun turns into a red giant, Voyager is still going to be trucking out there through the stars. We'll still be out there." - Candy Hansen-Koharcheck

One time, we put a golden record on a spaceship and sent it off to interstellar space. This was part of a bigger mission, originally called the Voyager program.

Long after our sun burns out and we all perish, this golden record - which serves as the soundtrack of humankind - will be the last surviving evidence of our existence.

Some quick facts about the Voyager program:

• In 1977, we sent two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, out into space on a mission to explore Jupiter and Saturn. The spacecraft were built to last five years.

• They did a really good job with the Jupiter and Saturn thing, so the mission was extended. Voyager 1 was sent on a direct trajectory to the outer limits of our solar system and eventually interstellar space, while Voyager 2 was tasked with making a couple pitstops to both Uranus and Neptune, before following suit with Voyager 1. 

• Between the two of them, they were able to capture and transmit countless data regarding our systems's largest planets and their respective moons. They were also able to send back some super snazzy photos.

• Before leaving our solar system, Voyager 1 turned around to take a portrait of us and our neighbors. Scientifically, there was no reasoning behind this detour, but Carl Sagan insisted that it be done. Now we have these:

Credit: NASA

• And this:

• After 40 years, both Voyager spacecraft are still out there, traveling farther than any man-made object ever has, exploring the unknown beyond our Sun's domain.

• I haven't gotten to the best part.

The Golden Record

The Voyager program was designed to be more than a mission of exploration. In the unlikely event that either of these spacecraft were to encounter intelligent, extraterrestrial life, we included a golden phonograph record on each. Here's what the records contain:

• 115 images of our world and its various inhabitants

• 90 minutes of music from different times and cultures, including "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry

• A selection of natural sounds, such as wind, thunder, waves and birds

• Printed messages from President Carter and U.N. Secretary General Waldheim

• Spoken greetings in 55 languages 

The English greeting was recorded by a group of children, who simply and innocently stated, "Hello from the children of planet Earth."

What was the point of all this?

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 set out to explore, and to help us better understand our place in this endless arrangement of everything. And with them, encapsulated in these golden records, is the story of who we are, and what it means to be human.

To me, this incredible, ongoing Voyager mission is an extension of the same mission that we all embark on within ourselves every day. And the golden record? It wasn't made for some alien to randomly discover in a couple billion years from now. We made it for ourselves, to serve as a reminder of how special we are, and what's possible when we all work together toward something big.

Just like these spacecraft, we are all explorers lost in space - all in search of, well, something.