What would you do, if you thought you knew, how it all began, how we came to be, how humans and plants and the Universe became so complex, how it all started, and the big one, why we exist? How did we get here?

I'm not talking about any kind of religion or cult or any psychedelic mumbo jumbo. I am talking about the actual physical process, from a theoretical point of view only, for I have neither the math nor the physics to wax ephemeral in numbers alone. I am a naturalist speaking from my heart of hearts having seen simple obvious connections in the Universe, here on Earth, and in the waves of the corn leaves in my home town. I have looked, observed and watched to see why and how it was doing that. How did Mother Nature arrange things to happen in this particular way? That was the question that plagued me as a teenager. I was rather absent minded thinking of clouds in the sky and birds on the wing and I left my dad's minnow trap down in the creek for a few days and then forgot about it until 5 days later when my dad brought it to me with ten dead fish in it, and said: "Clean it out. Next time, I'll show you how to set it." And that was it. That was the moment we all feel when we hunt or fish and catch the big one, but out of respect you want to let him go, and say, "See ya next year, buddy." The death of those fish, trapped in that cage, and the realization of their ending and my responsibility in the matter, and suddenly I gained what I think is a singular view into how not just the tiny minnows work but how the entire Universe works and evolves, for it truly is a process.

These things I have observed I can only hope your exploration of such will lead us all to a better understanding of the Universe. They are here in these pages for you. OK, so:

What would you do?
If you have thought it all through,
And came to the conclusion,
That you thought you knew,
How it all began?
What would you do?

I have not told a soul,
Nor even a friend,
For I have none of those,
No dog, no cat,
For they crowd me too much.
Not even a friend,
For coffee and hockey and such.

What would you do, if you thought you knew?

I am a logical being. I have been an editor for 35 years. I have edited PhD theses and journal articles and hundreds of books. I know what good writing is. I know what can or cannot be proved. I know when someone is pulling my leg. I will do none of that. I can lay out the evidence and my hypotheses in the confidence that people will accept it. But, that is what every crackpot says with a new theory and a twist on the multiverse. Who am I really to think I have the answer? Why would I have the answer?

What would you do, if you thought you knew, how it all began, how we came to be, how humans and plants and the Universe became so complex, how it all started, and the big one, why we exist? How did we get here?

I'm not talking about any kind of religion or cult or any psychedelic mumbo jumbo. I am talking about the actual physical process, from a theoretical point of view only, for I have neither the math nor the physics to wax ephemeral in numbers alone. I am a naturalist speaking from my heart of hearts having seen simple obvious connections in the Universe, here on Earth, and in the waves of the corn leaves in my home town. I have looked, observed and watched to see why and how it was doing that. How did Mother Nature arrange things to happen in this particular way? That was the question that plagued me as a teenager. I was rather absent minded thinking of clouds in the sky and birds on the wing and I left my dad's minnow trap down in the creek for a few days and then forgot about it until 5 days later when my dad brought it to me with ten dead fish in it, and said: "Clean it out. Next time, I'll show you how to set it." And that was it. That was the moment we all feel when we hunt or fish and catch the big one, but out of respect you want to let him go, and say, "See ya next year, buddy." The death of those fish, trapped in that cage, and the realization of their ending and my responsibility in the matter, and suddenly I gained what I think is a singular view into how not just the tiny minnows work but how the entire Universe works and evolves, for it truly is a process.

These things I have observed I can only hope your exploration of such will lead us all to a better understanding of the Universe. They are here in these pages for you. OK, so:

What would you do?
If you have thought it all through,
And came to the conclusion,
That you thought you knew,
How it all began?
What would you do?

I have not told a soul,
Nor even a friend,
For I have none of those,
No dog, no cat,
For they crowd me too much.
Not even a friend,
For coffee and hockey and such.

What would you do, if you thought you knew?