A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

So, when you read about the ethereal body, the chakras, the energy, transfer of energy through thought, and some of the other stuff in the previous post, you didn’t think all that was superstition did you? Did you accept it for total real? Did you pause to think that it could be real? It’s real for sure…… as real as you and I are…..I say this because the closer you get to what’s real, or what you think is real, the more you know that anything is ‘as real’ as you think it is.

Am I sounding confusing…..well, I’m not surprised, because I remember in one episode of Kaun Bhanega Crorepati, I thought I would have gone out at the first basic question. Amitabh Bachan asks, where does the sun rise? And the options are a) west b) north c) east d) none of the above. And pat came the answer from the contestant….east. And I find myself thinking, thank god it’s not me, I would have been out of the game right there. Because I actually found myself thinking it’s ‘none of the above’……after all, What is east? What is to rise? Where are we looking at it from? What is direction on a sphere? What about the sun and the earth being spherical, and both being in constant motion?

At that point I didn’t even dare tell anyone that that’s how I’d reacted. They’d have thought I was nuts. I only concluded to myself that I would never try to get to Kaun Banega Crorepati :) 

Today, I guess I’m willing to risk being called nuts. Reading Bill Bryson gives me the courage to actually put these questions out there.

‘Á short history of nearly everything’ by Bill Bryson, is one of those books that really gave me so much perspective, rather such a different perspective, not to speak of the loads and loads of stuff about the Universe, and our own planet. I’ve just started a reread, and I want to share the first page, so here goes:

Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize.

To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will exist only this once. For the next many years(we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally under appreciated state known as existence.

Why atoms take this trouble is a bit of a puzzle. Being you is not a gratifying experience at the atomic level. For all their devoted attention, your atoms don’t actually care about you – indeed, don’t even know that you are there.

The book as indicated by the title is really a travelogue through science, starting from the big bang theory, through evolution, through geology, physics, atoms, protons, chemistry, biology, oceans, birds, fish, you….. it’s like science coming alive, with lots of laugh aloud times too. One of my sure shot favourites.

And it’s as interesting and mysterious as energy healing and the rest of it, except this is all stuff that’s been proved through scientific labs ….but then electricity existed before Edison let us know, right?