8.18.2008

What is Nothing?

I was thinking - this is a very dangerous pastime - and was wondering if I could write a story in which I create a world that has no God. I was wondering what this world would be like: so empty and dry with nothing worth living for.
After all, mankind was made to worship God. We see this in all of history, that even if someone didn't worship God, they had to worship someone or something, because they were made to worship Someone. Thus they worshiped idols and statues and other odd things.
Then it occurred to me that it this world would be empty indeed, not because there was no God, but because there was no world. If there is no God, there can be no world; there would be Nothing, not an atom, nor a particle of air.... absolutely nothing!
This then raised the question, What is Nothing?
When the word Nothing comes to mind, I picture an empty corner in our living room.... But that corner is something! Then I think of the air around me.... But the air is something! Next comes to mind utter darkness, in which there is no form of life or air, or unseen thing. Problem is, the darkness is a color, and all I am seeing is empty space.
Nothing has no color, no form, takes up no space, is nothing! But this is odd, if Nothing is nothing, how can it have the above characteristics? Nothing is something, too!
I could go on and on, caught up in this baffling thinking. But I shall not. I shall rejoice that there is a God; that He has made the world, and people like me; and that (I am sure!) He takes delight in seeing us trying to figure things out.
Some questions are unanswerable. I think this question is one of them.....

1 comment:

Kirk said...

ah, indeed...
nothing is very puzzling