Comprehension


It is impossible to understand the size of the universe. Our minds literally have no way of comprehending the idea that something can go on and on infinitely. If it is true that space is infinite that means there are infinite copies of yourself doing the exact same thing you are doing at this very moment. We weren’t made to understand it, yet we are constantly attempting to wrap our heads around these troubling ideas. So many reject these conclusions simply because the answer is unsettling. Humans want to understand. They want to explain and be all knowing. So what happens when one must face the fact that we can’t always comprehend everything?

Another very well known example of the unknown is dreams. Few people recognize how little we know about the purpose of dreams. One of the first people that really studied the meaning of dreams was Sigmund Freud. Although a lot of his hypotheses were questionable, it was his questioning of the misunderstood that opened many gateways for future psychoanalysts. Today there are thousands of people studying the purpose of dreams. We still know very little about dreams, but significantly more than in previous years. It was because of Freud so many have continued to question.


Like everyone else, I have forever struggled with the lack of understanding. Since I was a child my brain scrambled for answers to everything, especially when it came to the human mind. I have always felt the need to make sense of others actions. Why did they say that? Why now? What set them off? Although people can answer these questions in a version of the truth, I will never truly know. I can read a thousand psychology blogs, talk to a therapist, or conduct research, but at the end of the day I will never really apprehend it all. That makes me frustrated. No, it makes me furious. No matter how hard I search or reason with myself, I have nothing left to do but wonder.

There are people in this world who are not able to look the incomprehensible in the eye. The advice these people tend to give is to just accept it. Believe me when I say, it’s harder than it sounds. In fact it is most likely impossible to accept the incomprehensible. What people are actually suggesting is to just forget about it. Why is it that whenever some people come to a dead end they walk away? I have come to the conclusion that discomfort is vital. It’s of the utmost importance that we keep questioning and researching. Without this we will never evolve. Although the chance of fully comprehending the size of the universe is slim to none, it’s necessary to continue attempting to grasp it. We are nothing without our curiosity and the questions we impose.
Our world would be a very different place if humans never challenged ideas that couldn’t be explained. If Galileo never questioned the Earths role in our solar system, who knows how little we might know about space? If the Wright brothers never questioned the laws of physics, would the idea of flying be a mere dream? Those that defy the incomprehensible are, more often than not, the ones that make history. As frustrating as what we can’t understand is, it is our duty to continue pushing. This is not to say we will always get the answers we desire, but rather that we will affect the actions of future wonderers to come.