(Possibly) The Most Intelligent Thing Ever Written by a Sputin
So there's this theory I've been refining in my head for the past month or so, which may be a bit complicated and convoluted, but I'll try to put it as coherently as I can. All the physics is correct, to the best of my knowledge, and I'll gladly welcome any corrections on that if I am wrong about it.
So, we'll begin with the bit that sparked this theory off, and that's a property that quantum physics assures us that all electrons carry. On a more basic level, we know that atoms are made up of the nucleus (protons and neutrons) orbited by electrons. Protons carry a positive electrical charge, neutrons are neutral, and electrons carry a negative charge. Thus, any given atom will always have the same number of protons and electrons, with the result that atoms have no electrical charge (the positive and negative neutralise each other).
Anyone who's played with a magnet knows that opposites attract, so the electrons orbiting the nucleus all feel a slight magnetic attraction to the protons. Compared to the Nuclear Strongforce holding it all together in the first place, this magnetic charge is negligible, but still there. So, it makes sense to assume that all the electons orbit the nucleus at the same distance - however, this is not true. The electrons orbit in 'layers' or 'shells', because there's a limited amount of room around a nucleus and you just can't fit them all in on that first layer. As it happens, that first layer has room for only two electrons. The second and third layers can hold eight, and layers after that hold eighteen - so when you look at the periodic table, the reason it's that funny shape is because the column (Group, as it's known) of any given element is also the number of electrons in it's outermost layer.
Still with me? Good, because that was GCSE physics. If you do a google image search for 'atom', 'atomic nucleus', or even 'electron layers' you'll find any number of diagrams to show you that pargraph above - an atomic nucleus, with the electrons laid out around it in that pattern of layers. My favourite description for it is to think of the solar system, with the sun as the atomic nucleus and each of the planets being one of those layers (you'd need two of Mercury, eight of Venus and so on, but still...).
And now you realise that hey, *why* can there only be two Mercury's? There's a lot of space, a lot of room to orbit without crossing paths or anything. That's the bit the GCSE doesn't explain to you, because this is where we start looking at it on a quantum level.
I'll start by explaining that each and every electon in the universe has a different amount of energy - a different energy level. Two electrons orbiting a Helium nucleus are in the same layer, yes, but there energy levels are slightly different - meaning one orbits the tiniest bit further away than the other, helping avoid collisions. This, as I just mentioned, is true of every electron in the universe. Each and every one has a slightly different amount of energy, and Pauli's Exclusion Principle tells us that this is because no two objects can occupy the same point of spacetime. It's obvious, when you think about it - same reason you can't park in an occupied space.
So, now to mash the two together. Pauli's Exclusion Principle tells us that no two electrons can occupy the same space at the same time, as does common sense. It also stipulates (or it may be a different rule) that if two electons have the same energy level - even at opposite ends of the universe - then they occupy the same point in spacetime. I'm not sure as to how exactly that bit works, but I'm reliably informed that it's true. So, the reason every electron has it's own unique energy level is because otherwise, it'd be sharing that parking space with another electron, and for some weird reason physics simply will not allow that to happen.
Now to throw in the next ingredient - electrons are constantly changing their energy levels. It's easy to see why, too - they're constantly moving and shifting. Take the electrons in the eyes looking at this right now. Said eyes are sending a constant stream of electrical energy to the brain, in the form of information. Those electrons are moving and shifting, and changing their energy levels as they do. So if an electron gains - or loses - just a little bit of energy... oh, right. It'd probably have the same amount as another electron somewhere.
And here kicks in the quantum again. If one single electron changes its energy level, it will suddenly match up with another one somewhere - and physics says no to such things, so the other electron must change it's energy level too, so it's not the same anymore. But it'll be the same as a different one, right? Right.
Because of this, if you change the energy level of a single electron - or a group of them, by blinking or moving your arm of dropping a plate - there's a whole lot of electrons that have to suddenly and instantly change their energy level, because why the hell not. The thing is, it quickly escalates - so what really happens is that if a single electron changes its energy level, every other electron in the universe instantly and immediately changes it's level to accommodate. Did you just blink? That action literally changed the universe. Literally. That could (or could not) have been just the shift in energy that an electron needed inside the star Sirius to kick-start the supernova that star is building towards, or it could be just the shift that raises the temperature in a glass of water to make a single droplet evaporate away.
The point is, quantum physics tells us that we are part of this infinitely huge cloud of electrons that make up the universe, and every single electron is connected to every other. If ever you needed a little ray of hope that you're not alone... surely, surely that is it.
Now, we living things have senses. We need to, so we can interpret and interact with the world. Consider this - what if one of those senses can detect the constant shifting of the elctrons around, and inside us? It makes sense, I think, that even though the change in electrons is instantaneous, it must originate at the electron that caused the shift. If we could see such a thing, an object would show up as a constant source of shifts, as opposed to just shifting.
To make that analogy easier, I've split the shifts into two types - Primary and Secondary. A Primary shift is what happens when you move your arm - the electrons in your arm shift because they are changing. A Secondary shift is that instantaneous change in every other electron in the universe.
So, if we could see such things, a bouncing ball would appear as a circular mass of Primary shifts, whilst everything else around it would be Secondary shifts. All clear?
We know animals have some amazing abilities. I'm sure you've heard, read, or been told more stories than you can count of animals going exodus days before an earthquake, or the dog that went crazy at the exact moment - on the other side of town - it's owner had an asthma attack or something. We know it happens, and we know it's commonplace. Could it be the case that animals know what's happening because they sensed it through this shifting electrical field that permeates everything?
And if that's the case... then humans must be able to sense it too, at some level or other. We've all heard the stories of mothers who know with every fiber of their being that their child is alive somewhere, and they turn out to be right. I'm not going to suggest it's true in every last case, but is it not plausible that - at least in some cases - the mother could have been sensing her son through the secondary shifts he caused in the universe merely by existing? Instinct, they will tell us, is how she knew, or intuition. I put it to you that these universal connections, these shifts, are what power instinct and intuition.
The same principle can be held true for any so-called psychic ability, or magic, or anything. If we can sense this constantly shifting energy field - which, let's face it, is exactly what it is - then can we manipulate it, by setting off just the right Primary shift? I don't have an answer for that, and likely never will, but y'never know.
But then... this could also apply to God. What if your individual interpretation of God is just how you interpret this field? It certainly fits the bill - an omnipresent, omnipotent force that permeates the universe. I don't want to dismiss thoughts of God or religion, because I believe in a fair few Gods myself. I do find it slightly disturbing that it could literally be just how my brain interprets this energy field, but... at the same time, I can't deny the logic of it.
It took a lot of background physics, but the point of my theory is this:
Humans - and indeed all life - is not only connected to the universe by the shifting of electron energy. It can be detected by us, sensed and interpreted on a subconcious level, possibly even manipulated for our own ends (see: magic).
Think about it. Really sit and think. If I'm right about this, organised religion can be told to shut the fuck up because God was just proven to be a very individual and personal concept, albeit one shared with all living things capable of such a notion. Atheists can be told to shut the fuck up because, no, there may not be a beardy dude sitting on a cloud passing judgement on us, but there *is* an equivalent force constantly shifting and changing our universe.
Like I said at the beginning, to the best of my knowledge the physics is correct. If it's really all correct, if these conclusions aren't just me having wishful thoughts and being an idiot... well, I rather impressed myself with that.
Regardless of your beliefs on religion, magic, psychic powers and all that jazz... please, PLEASE don't change them based on what you've just read. Hold them tight and stick with them, because it's how your brain interprets this universal energy. I maintain that faith is the most important thing a person can have, and it literally doesn't matter who or what that faith is placed in. Having it is what matters.
Have a nice day, y'alls.