The Universe, in 13.8 billion years, has created marvels like star systems and life; it is undoubtedly a living legend. While it is a genius, the Universe also has its own paradigm of doing things and making things happen. It is safe to say that Reality has a terrific memory, because whatever goes out of trend eventually finds a way back in.
The first humans spawned on Earth about two hundred thousand years back. What is almost synonymous with the word ‘human’ is the word ‘civilization’. There are not as many conversations about other species as about humans, because the former cannot nearly match the capabilities of humankind in creating things. It is also essential to realize that Nature is the original creator, and whatever humans create, nature constantly studies it. It ensures the reoccurring of trends after suitable time gaps, and this lemma is almost universal.
The above statement can be analysed through a simple example- fashion. Fashion first began with simple drapes; humans in ancient sands just donned a simple cloth to cover themselves, mainly to protect themselves against the temperatures and not as a statement. A leap to the 12th century shows how fashion became more of a statement. The 12th century encompassed simple but elegant tunics and skirts in the Western world, which soon began to be dyed. The 13th century saw the emergence of tailoring; clothes were made to fit better on a person’s silhouette. The experimentation of fashion during the Renaissance period led to huge, ornate, and fancy fashion Armageddons. These fashion trends can be distinctly seen again in the years that followed because the graph reversed. Tailor-fitted formalwear replaced the 15th and 16th century’s huge gowns and dresses, similar to the 14th century. The 17th and 18th centuries saw the growth of ‘undressing’ or loose fashion. Fancy clothes worn at celebrations, too, were replaced by minimal and easy clothing, not necessarily tailored. The minimalism is intelligibly similar to the original human fashion, loose drapes. Eventually, in the 20th century, formalwear rose to its peak once again, with aristocrats pulling off clothes worth diamonds. Now, in the 21st century, we see the dominance of informality again in popular culture, with jeans and loose t-shirts leading the way.
The above case study exemplifies the wavelengths of Reality’s flux. Humans spent days and nights working on better ways to grow crops, and yet, now they want to leap back again to organic farming. The music from medieval centuries continues to be sampled extensively to create melodious marvels (For example- Twenty One Pilots sampled Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata in their song ‘Neon Gravestones’). The architects of today find great intellect involved in ancient structures and still draw inspiration from them. With just the technology upgraded, humans still face the same wars and arguments that they faced centuries back. There are countless other examples that leave no doubt that Reality is a long circumference.
Science itself is a philosophy, but today’s scientists are ignorant about the connection of major philosophies with science. Will what started with a big bang end with one too? Moreover, how far can humans really go? These are some other questions concerning the true fabric of the Universe. Yes, the Universe does have a way of making things happen, it does link past events to the present, maybe to make humankind realize how far it has come, but the big question is, do we just live with it, or do we continue to think about it?
-by Udaybhanu Singh, Class 10, Amity International School Noida
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