Webs of Nature: Cycles

Cycles are a core principal of existence. They are present in nearly every aspect of life, from the Earth's orbit to the life cycle of grass, this is a concept that we all know and understand well. Even time is often referred to as a cycle; the fact that history repeats itself, that similar events pock-mark our past, that our society slowly grows and changes; not in a straight line, but in a slow circular pattern.

Time is often pictured as a sphere, lines stretching out and reaching back from the beginning, symbolizing the repetition of life. However, if it were a true cycle, there would be a point where everything began and where everything will have to end up. A point at the center of the sphere, where all the many paths and possibilities of time spew forward. A point where all those loose and scattered strands return. Something has to occur there, at that point, one event that signals the beginning and the end.

What that event is, well there really is no way to be certain; however we can guess and hypothesize. The only thing that does make sense to me is a related theory of how the universe began, and how it will end.

This isn't uncommon knowledge, the idea that the universe will collapse in on itself when the core becomes a gravity well strong enough to suck every planet and star back to the center. It works well with the theory that time is cyclical. It began with a large amount of compressed materials exploding out into space, and ends with all that matter coming back to be compressed.

The question is, is that all? Is that all that defines us? A fluke accident, on a chance rock, floating in an inky sea? I guess the possibility exists; but it doesn't feel right. Taking that theory to it's natural conclusion, feels empty. Nothing moves forward, no progress is made, in fact our very existence is literally pointless and nothing would change whether we lived to see the end or we all killed ourselves. It's an empty, pointless, existence.

So why does it feel wrong. An intangible feeling of dread, as if we're looking at something and logically it makes sense, but we somehow know we're interpreting it wrong.

I think, cycles exist more prevalently in this than we would first assume; for most cycles never end in the exact same place as they began, most of the time something is different, hopefully better, but not always. I think, in that moment, where all matter returns to one point and compresses into one form, at that point the culminated experiences, ideas, perceptions, and imagination of life are compressed as well.

Everything coalesces into a perfect, or near perfect being. A true God; comprised of every idea, every event, every aspect of life. And for a few seconds It will exist. But I do not believe Perfection is an obtainable state, and if the cycle is to be maintained, that being will erupt again restarting the process; adding a piece of what came before to the new cycle. So progress is made and the cycle continues. Is there an end to the cycle? Who knows. Who knows what the end result would be? Perhaps each cycle is an attempt at perfection, and every time it fails, the cycle repeats, carrying what was learned into the next.