Metaphysical Musings of Multiversal Meaning: Mateo's Friday of Futures Past.

Metaphysical Musings of Multiversal Meaning: Mateo’s Friday of Futures Past.

The Multiverse

“I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”-  John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

Excellent Book a Definite Must Read

Today I came across an article on nature.com, entitled “How to lose the one you love.” The article, which is more or less a semi-humorous/science fiction based story-solution to the problem of “unrequited love” caused me to consider the implications of such a solution in general and in particular. For those who have experienced unrequited love, the sentiments expressed in the article should be capable of evoking sympathetic relatability. For me this became even more so specifically in relation to the article because of its reliance on the concept of the “multiverse” as a solution. Those familiar with “multiverse” theory as espoused in quantum mechanics and popular science fiction /fantasy should also appreciate the article and hopefully the philosophical meandering that it, along with other sources catalyzed in me. Some of the ideas that seemed to coalesce into the general tone and sentiment of this post came about as rough contemplations of books and media that I have been consuming lately. The primary sources that spurred my thinking are the latest X-Men movie titled, “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” the book “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green,  the poem “Ulysses” by Lord Alfred Tennyson, and the album “World’s Apart”  by Seven Lions.

 For some reason, I have a tendency to try to find interrelated and correlated meaning across my “web” of experiential existence. As I will try to articulate in this entry, I believe that this tendency is a natural, inherent, and fundamental process of human existence that forms the basis for meaning and purpose itself, but yet at times remains frustratingly obscure, muddled, fuzzy, undefined, and “as yet.” Because of the seeming paradox that presents, life itself can often appear meaningless, random, and arbitrary, and yet still, the very act of distinguishing something “as such” is itself “meaningful.” That is to say that nothing could be “meaningless” if some thing were “meaningful,” nor could every thing  be “random” if something, anything could be considered  “systematic,” nor could a thing be “arbitrary” if there wasn’t a situation where that thing could be made “sensible.” That is to say that there must be meaning in the experiences of life, particularly the experience of pain, and that is what I am trying to tease out of this assessment. I believe that there must be clues in the seeming minutiae and apparent randomness of that which is consciously, subconsciously, and unconsciously chosen, experienced, and felt.

Infinite Universes, Infinite Possibility, and Infinite Crises

Suffice it to say that all the above mentioned sources combined with my own temporal experience caused me to question the nature of reality in relation to the possibilities and implications of a “multiverse.” The concept known as the multiverse was first coined by Andy Nimmo, a scientist who chaired the British Interplanetary Society. He defined the multiverse as “an apparent universe, a multiplicity of which goes to make up the whole universe.”  Over time science fiction novelists, theorists, cosmologists and others redefined the term to be “the set of all possible universes throughout time, including our observable universe.”  Since at least the early 1940s scientists had developed what is termed “big-bang cosmology” explaining with a proper scientific theory with quantitative estimates of how the universe “began” and has “evolved” over time with its attendant possible “endings.”  Essentially that theory postulates that the big bang was the “event” that defines the birth of the universe itself, i.e.  the big bang marks the origin of space and time itself. According to the theory the big bang occurred everywhere and all at once, and before that event nothing existed, neither space nor time.  As Hubble observed, the galaxies and stars that came into existence were moved as if attached to the very fabric of expanding space, much like dots on an inflating balloon. The primary points to glean from big bang cosmology for the purposes of my analysis are that time and space are essentially considered finite, that is that this distinct “universe” has a “beginning” and therefore an “end.” While the scientific positions regarding the ultimate fate of this universe have changed over time and  essentially boil down to at least three competing viewpoints about expansion, collapse, or inflation, it is sufficient to say that the properties that were “created” in the big bang are considered finite. Such a position lends itself to many other scientific theorems and laws governing the conservation of matter and the atomic materialism underlying the existence of things. In this sense, time and space are quantifiable, measureable, and as a result a linear understanding of both concepts has become the primary paradigm for understanding all known existence. That is that there is a temporal nature to all things, and that they have a beginning and an end. This is important for the contrast between big bang cosmology and multiverse theory in some specific instances and in relation to reckoning of cyclical infinite time.

Multiverse theory suggests that this universe, the one in which we live, may not be the only one in existence, and could be just one member of a set of either finite or infinite other universes similar or not to our very own. The most prominent multiverse theory is called "eternal inflation" theory. The theory states that this universe is just one of many "pocket universes" that were randomly generated as inflationary bubbles through some fluctuation of a quantum vacuum in space. That is to say that the conditions necessary for the existence of one big bang are infinite in their application across "epochs" or infinite quantities of time and space. Each successive pocket universe creates other bubbles which become their own universes in a chain reaction, producing a “fractal-like pattern of universes.” Andrei Linde, the primary author of this version of multiverse theory goes on to state that “in this scenario the universe as a whole is immortal. Each particular part of the universe may stem from a singularity somewhere in the past, and it may end up in a singularity somewhere in the future. There is, however, no end for the evolution of the entire universe.”  While the theory has gained traction and is supported by much philosophical and mathematical speculation it is still subject to much questioning and exploration. The primary difference between the big bang theory and a multiverse model is essentially in the possibility of infinite universes and infinite instances of the particular. Most relevant to the discussion here is the many-world interpretation of multiverse theory as a function of quantum mechanics and logical consistency. This interpretation asserts that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an actual “world” (or “universe”). Because there is a hypothesized t and potentially large and even infinite number of universes, everything that could have possibly have happened in this our past, but did not, has occurred in the past or will occur in some future of another universe.

More pointedly is the conclusion that if the universe is infinite, beyond the mere local observable universe which we inhabit (where seemingly there are only a finite number of ways that atoms can be arranged) then there would also be an infinite number of possible atomic configurations that either have or will be realized. Additionally, if you could observe such an event then it is logical that every configuration possible would repeat itself infinitely as a product of infinity as well.  This would lead to the logical conclusion that somewhere  in the vast expanse of infinite time and space there would be another observable universe similar to our own, which would also contain a duplicate (or near duplicate) version of “you” reading this. There would be an infinite number of "you’s" reading this, and also an infinite number of “you’s” in every possible configuration and variation of “your” life, in every instance of that life.

Infinite Final Crises

Science Fiction writers in general and comic book authors in particular have become entranced with the concept of the multiverse and have applied the theoretical principles in interesting ways, most specifically in regard to alternative timelines and infinite parallel worlds. In particular DC comics has crafted several major “events” in its comic universe around this concept of infinite parallel earths with infinite (or a seemingly systematic finite set,  like 52 earths) Superman’s, Batman’s, and Wonder Woman’s.  These stories often focus on what might be termed “singularities” of experience.  That is, those crucial decisions in historical reality lend themselves more readily due to some as yet understood quantum function of time and space, to the creation of a parallel earth or alternative history. For example, in the Superman story “Red Son,” Superman as a baby is sent to the USSR instead of America. The parallel story is said to have truly existed in a pocket universe and represents a singularity shift from what might be termed the “primary” or “prime” Superman story. Presumably, every action of quantum significance leads to the creation of a world where the opposite or other action was taken.

Days of My Future Past

The X-Men movie deals with this issue in some sense as the story deals with the attempt of the future X-Men to alter the course of history so as to avoid the apocalyptic destructive dystopian they find themselves in. Due to a mutant ability to red shift through time and space and therefore transcend the barriers between the two, Kitty Pryde is able to send back the consciousness of Wolverine to inhabit his younger self and to warn and attempt to change the past.  It is in that state that he is able to locate that pivotal singularity inducing moment when the dystopian future was created. It is much like the classic Back to the Future movies with its explanation of time and space and the possibility for alternative timelines and the changing of futures through alteration and quantum resonance of the past. While these time-travel scenarios differ from multiversal theory in important respects, this movie recognizes that in some sense the reality of the dystopian future still exists, but only in the mind of Wolverine, thus it is not really representative of a straight singular and linear “one universe” theory. I loved the ending of the movie for its reconciliation and redemptive nature in not only fixing the “errors” to continuity in the series, but also for recognizing the primordial nature of the X-Men’s premiere characters. I nearly teared up when Logan sees Jean Grey standing in the doorway, as it represents the ultimate wish fulfillment fantasy of time travelers, multiverse theorists, and comic book nerddom that one could “fix” the errors of the past and waking up from an awful dream.  I was even more touched when Scott Summers (Cyclops) steps through the door and catches Logan’s hand just as he is about to touch Jean’s cheek. In X-Men canon, though Wolverine and Jean share a special connection, they are never meant to be together, as Cyclops and Jean are considered soul mates. That this movie recognized the fundamental nature of these characters, while at the same time, allowing the “hero” of the movie to experience the overall effect and import of his quest  as the “loner” that he fundamentally is, was nothing but pure fan wish-fulfillment in cinematic storytelling. This brings me (finally) to the article that spurred my interest in multiversal theory. The article deals with the problem of “unrequited love” and the authors seeming “solution” to that problem and its resolution in the vein of Logan’s heroic sacrifice, in not only attempting to change the past, but also for taking on the burden of both “realities,” the one in which he is required to kill Jean even as she loves him and he her, and the one in which she survives and does not remember and is happily married to Scott. For those that have experienced such a situation (unrequited love and sacrifice, not being an X-Man or time traveler), or have aspirations to that effect, they can likely relate to the sentiment’s that both the author expresses and which I want to draw from for the possibility of an idealized realization of my own “futures past” from within a potential multiversal theory of infinite possibility.

I am Part of All that I Have Met

The article that spurred this analysis reads as follows:

How to Lose the One you Love by Gary Cuba

Out of sight, out of mind.

First off, the obligatory warning. Don't try this at home, kids! In the hands of inexperienced laymen, the method I am about to describe will inevitably be a disaster. Like, fatal-type disaster. Consider yourself forewarned.

That said, I have to admit that Jillian was truly one to die for. I'd never seen a woman whose visage struck me so deeply — smack-dab in my gut, and various regions nearby. Whenever I saw her in the flesh, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would insinuate itself into my brain, and I would reel in response to the ecstasy of her divine musical theme.

Many wise men throughout the ages have written about this sensation. Suffice it for me to say that, if she were a predator and I were her prey, I'd gladly give up my bodily organs for her to feast upon.

Unfortunately, that was never to be. Jillian didn't even know I existed. Complete bummer.

And why shouldn't that be the case? I was an experimental physicist and she a talented concert violinist. We had nothing at all in common between us, aside from the fact that we both lived in the same apartment building. Furthermore, judging from my surreptitious surveillance of her, she already had an intimate relationship with her orchestra's bassoon player. Even more of a complete bummer. In the time it would take me to become a competent enough bassoonist to challenge his role, all the protons in the Universe would have disintegrated.

It was a no-win situation.

Which is why I began to contemplate suicide.

Trouble was, I didn't want to die. All I wanted to do was to forget about Jillian, completely and irrevocably. Then I could move on with my life. It was a real dilemma. Just as it is, I'm sure, for a million other sociophobic nerds like me.

So here is where it gets a little complicated. Stay with me; don't sweat the physics stuff. It's not that hard to follow.

Quantum mechanics boils down to one simple principle: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose and sometimes you get rained out. You can't be sure of the result until you read about it in the sports section of the newspaper.

But that's just one interpretation — and there's every reason to believe it's the wrong one. We both win and lose. We go on to glory in one version of the Universe, and go down to ignominious defeat in another. (And, not to neglect the other possibility, we get soaking wet in a third.) The field of play is called the multiverse.

But you already knew that, right? Lately, it's all over TV, movies and the Internet. Few, however, realize that the concept is more than 50 years old. Sometimes it takes that long to agglomerate something into the popular zeitgeist.

It may be difficult to understand how we can exploit this fact to our personal benefit — but that's what this exposition is all about.

Like I said, don't sweat the small stuff. Bottom line, here's what you need to kludge together to solve the age-old problem of unrequited love:

1) One big-assed electrical generator, capable of delivering instantaneous jolts of 20 or more amps on demand.

2) Two very large copper cables connected to the positive and negative poles of said generator, terminating in handgrips that you will grasp while standing barefoot in a tub of salt water.

3) A quantum trigger. An old radium-dial watch will do nicely.

4) A photomultiplier tube, to detect the random photons that emanate from the radium source.

5) A video camera, focused on the page of the telephone directory that lists the name of your love interest.

6) A PC programmed to fire off the generator's output when instructed by the quantum trigger, but also to cease firing when the video camera detects the disappearance of said name in the directory.

Simple, right? Remember, you both win and lose. The radium watch dial can either produce a photon within the computer's scanning cycle, or not. Both possibilities are real. The 'you' that survives this process will be the winner, set free, free, free. No more Jillian. No more love dilemma.

True, millions — possibly billions, trillions, quadrillions — of yourselves will die to get there. But they're just bodies under the bridge.

Yet, it's not all so simple. The astute reader will question why and how I can refer to Jillian at all in my tale, when she has never existed in my current Universe.

The answer? I never pulled that quantum trigger. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I just couldn't envisage living in a Universe where I didn't love Jillian.

This article really touched me, particularly the final stanza, in which the author having been tortured by unrequited love and faced with the fictional possibility of multiversal memory mind wipe, chooses instead to accept the pain associated with it due to its ultimate significance, meaning, and purpose in loving. Alright, call both me and Gary hopeless romantics, but I get that sentiment, completely.

I would posit that most have experienced a form of unrequited love, in any particular instance of the category that encompasses the universal, yet specific instances of the expression of “love.” This is essentially to say that everyone has experienced feelings of care, concern, and affection for others in many various forms that have not necessarily been returned in kind or in equal measure. The article specifically focuses on the form of love considered to be “romantic.” Truly, most of the great stories, whether science fiction or otherwise, have at their core a story about romantic love.  Something about the concept of love seems to underlie the very basis of human existence, meaning, and purpose.  The concept of love itself encompasses more than just biological stimulus responses systems, but also something of a deep and meaningful metaphysical reality. This manifests itself in human experience as emotion, as action, as thought, and as the existentially conceptual. That is to say that we can feel it, we can think about it, we can philosophize on it, we can speculate about it, and it can exist as something outside of or in us. Yet, in a literal sense we cannot “have” it in the same sense that I can “have” a pen or other object. As such it is somewhat ephemeral, yet completely fundamental.  Shakespeare summarized it thusly:

“Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs; Being purged, a fire sparkling in lover’s eyes; Being vex’d a sea nourish’d with lovers’ tears; What is it else? a madness most discreet, A choking gall and a preserving sweet.” (Romeo and Juliet 1.1).

Whatever it may be in its truest sense, it is a force, and a power that is real and a seemingly fundamental aspect of human existence. Even if the possibility of a universe, where the one you love or loved never existed were presented to you, what would that or could that mean to you in this moment? I posit that such a situation would actually diminish and destroy the very possibility of its meaning anything at all anywhere at all.

“Without pain, how could we know joy? This is an old argument in the field of thinking about suffering and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the taste of chocolate.” – John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

That the reality of such a sentiment existing is  ever-present, not only as a memory in the past, but as a catalyzing influence for some intended future, denotes that such a possibility cannot and should not exist. An infinite number of alternative historical Mateo’s could never matter to present Mateo, except in relation to that which caused such sentiments to arise in the first place. Further, multiversal theorists state that “in the case of a true multiverse, there is not even the possibility of any indirect causal connection of any kind- the universes are then completely disjoint and nothing that happens in any one of them is causally linked to what happens in any other one.”

  If there was another universe in which love was requited it would mean nothing to the one in which I exist in the same way that the existence of broccoli does not, in any way, affect the state and nature of chocolate. They are not the same thing and the same meaning could not be derived from such an actual situation. As demonstrated by Jean’s reaction to Logan’s incredulity of her being alive. She was completely oblivious to the actual lived experience of loss, loneliness, despair, and eventual hope, and fulfillment that defined the Wolverines journey. It is within this same context of our own historical realities, experiences, and intended hopeful futures past that we derive our ultimate joy.

 However, and yet, this is not to suggest that simply because no two “disjointed” universes could ever really mean anything to each other, it is the very sentiment and desire of causal connection that provides the possibility of choice through distinction, always toward an intended and meaningful future. My past, with the seeming cyclical “rain and the tears, the predictable storm that has come every year,” is what and who I am. It is, as the poet says, that “I am part of all that I have met.”

Cyclical Time Travel and Infinite Choral Movement

However, that there is an “earth prime” where the primordial, and primary self exists out of necessity for the possibility of meaning itself, and which therefore set the metes and bounds of the profound and significant across all time and space, does not mean that all “problems” have no “solution.”  In the western intellectual tradition we are taught that time itself is linear, that events proceed from A to B along a single, unchangeable line bounded by time and space, i.e. where there is a beginning there is an end. Other paradigmatic conceptions of time based on the concept of infinity (of which multiversal theory more or less operates) provide for” solutions” to the seeming harsh finality of linear time. Cyclical time can be conceptualized as a circle, where there is no beginning and no end, with its continuation stretching on forever. Such a conception of time suggests that life itself is a never ending recycling of things, places, people, and situations. I don’t know about anyone else, but I know that in my life I have had “singularity” moments, where my heart, mind, body, and soul were captured in one universe (mine or hers) encompassing state. Given my age, my experiences, and my understanding of the nature of things, I have also come to see such events as rare but yet coupled with cyclical patterns of behavior, sensations, conceptions, and conclusions. Why the universe appears to or actually does operate in this manner is simply beyond my full understanding, but I have a distinct feeling that this is exactly how it operates on the basis of “providence” and “fortune.” In this sense I reject the notion that history itself is completely controllable, static, and indifferent, or that force of will is the only state that mankind may operate under in relation to its movement. This conception must by necessity conceive of time as infinite, eternal, meaningful as a result of its folding back onto itself in cyclical manners. In this sense I find myself drawn to the melodious, the choral, and the harmonic in nature and in personal relational choice.  Thus, life, love, and meaning are best understood by me in terms of its “musical” tone.

The Miracle Musical Note

 The ancient Hebrews also conceptualized time in terms of musical resonance with God’s influence playing an important part in the manifestation of life’s experiences. Life is therefore conceived as purposeful in the same way that one musical note is integral to the ultimate expression and culmination of a symphonic masterpiece.  However, one note in that progression does not and cannot define the overall and “completed” musical expression. That one rhythm, beat, or notation has already occurred does not define, limit, or foreclose the possibilities and potentialities yet expressed. Indeed a later musical expression can change the entire tone of a singular note, a particular stanza, or the entire body of the work itself. This is the reckoning of time that lends itself to a multiverse. While a particular experience has happened and in some sense cannot be changed, it doesn’t mark the end of the resonance of that experience, nor does it represent any degree of finality in regard to the meaning that is derived from it. Unrequited love may yet become requited. Unrequited love may, and in some sense must provide the first sensation necessary in the introductory bittersweet melodic crescendo of love which ultimately culminates in the fulfillment of a masterful choral and harmonic movement. And even then, it will only be one of an infinite number of movements, stretching on to the eternities, each successive one building upon and enriching the former.

“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinites are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get . . . I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I am grateful.” – John Green, The Fault in Our Stars.

Truly, I am part of all that I have met, and she a part of me, but:

 “yet all experience is an arch wherethro’

Gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades

 For ever and forever when I move.”  - Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Ulysses Heroic Journey

The Hopeful Heroic Heart

 Hank McCoy: “There’s a theory in quantum physics that time is immutable. It’s like a river – you can throw a pebble in and create a ripple, but the current always corrects itself. No matter what you do the river just keeps flowing in the same direction. . . what I’m saying is, what if the war is inevitable? What if this is simply who [we are]? 

Charles Xavier: “Just because someone stumbles and loses their way it doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. No, I don’t believe that theory . . . and I cannot believe that is who [we are].”

In Days of Future Past, a large portion of the story focuses on Dr. Charles Xavier’s past self’s struggle with loss of hope, depression, and apathy. Due to the events in the previous X-Men film (First Class) he had not only lost the use of his legs due to being shot in the spine, but also his closest childhood friend, to his emerging arch-enemy and his philosophy of fascistic mutant superiority. It is explained that over time, the school he and Hank McCoy (Beast) set up to take in mutants and give them a safe haven, an education, and proper moral and practical training, had lost students due to the Vietnam War draft. After losing all these things, Charles Xavier spirals into a deep depression and resorts to using a serum developed by Hank McCoy to suppress the mutant gene. The reason given is that Charles can no longer deal with the myriad voices constantly in his head due to his telepathic abilities. This compounded with his own personal loss, sense of failure, and feeling of lack of efficacy, he suppresses his powers and regains his ability to walk. But it is clear that he is not the man he was before, nor was he even a shadow of what he could or in the case of the future version of himself, what he would be. In the most pivotal and poignant scene of the movie, he is able to access Wolverine’s mind and cross into the future timeline and speak to his future self. His future self gives him counsel and most importantly a platform to air his true feelings. Up until that point Charles had been somewhat reticent about the nature of his problems and reasoning behind his reclusiveness. It is clear that he was struggling with some profound feelings and issues, but just exactly the true nature of what it is that he feared is not revealed until this scene. Young Charles explains that he does not want to feel the pain of others, as compounded with his own, because it is overwhelming, both in terms of actual lived sensation and experience, but also in conceptual reality. The literal weight of the world, as it were, appears to rest on the shoulders of men with great minds, both as a result of their own lofty ideals, dreams, and visions, and their noble and superior character. Men in this vein “dream things that never were and ask why not,” and also have the capabilities and capacities necessary to achieve them. This does not mean that such things could not or would not ever be difficult, taxing, or traumatic. Often those who dare to dream and to catalyze change on a paradigmatic level go through the most trying and self-sacrificial lives. Usually, they seal all that they have done and become with their very last breath and drops of blood. Young Charles, after seeing the future says “[s]o this is what becomes of us. Eric was right. Humanity does this to us.” To which his future self replies, “not if we show them a betterpath.” Young Charles asks if he “still believes.” Old Charles imparts one of the key words of wisdom that, “just because someone stumbles and loses their way, it doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. Sometimes we need a little help.” As if to defy the very future and the very course of human and natural progression of existence (like rebellious youngsters are wont to do) Young Charles retorts, “I’m not the man I was. I open my mind and it almost overwhelms me. In all those voices . . . so much pain.” The older future version of him then provides the needed perspective and words, “It’s not their pain you are afraid of. It’s yours Charles. And as frightening as it may be, their pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it. Embrace it. It will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It’s the greatest gift we have-to bear their pain without breaking. It’s born from the most human power-Hope. Please Charles; we need you to hope again.” The concept of hope and its necessary corollary of faith lies at the heart of the problems presented by pain rooted in a misunderstanding of time as linear and final. It is for this very reason that hope is often lost. When we feel pain whether inflicted up on us by ourselves or others, it is natural to shut off, shut down, close off, and protects oneself. The hard thing to do is to forgive yourself, others, and humanity itself. Pain itself is a reactive catalyzing force that presents an immediate choice dilemma. How will I react? There are certainly instinctive and reflexive responses that are tied to biologically determined processes but there remains an aspect of free-will and volition that lies at the heart of all human existence. We can exercise faith towards hope or not. Pain can unearth strength that was not previously available, simply because the oppositional forces had never been experienced. Once it has, and the proper perspective is recognized, the pain that seemed so debilitating can now become a source of immense emotional, rational, and willful compassion, love, and sacrifice. Because one has experienced the very depths of pain, one can then withstand it, weather it, turn it to something useful not only for oneself but for others who experience similar despair. But none of that may be done without the experience of pain, loss, and suffering, nor may that be done without the deliberate and conscious choice to do so. Movement must therefore be towards that which is ultimately unknown and such uncertainty is at the base of all human existence, as it is the catalyst of faith, whether chosen or not, whether sought or not, and whether ever fully realized. The requisite heroic characteristic is therefore faith and its corresponding hope in the possibility of as yet known futures past--ad infinitum.

“Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and Heaven, that which we are, we are--

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” - Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson

"Why are we World's Apart?"