Exercise 1. Transformation of Nothing

Exercise 1:

Transformation of Nothing

(Note -- before doing this exercise, you may want to read the intro to this series, and the Chapters that have lead up to it.)

 

For this exercise you will need a container of some sort.  It need not be anything fancy, and it can be any reasonable size.  An empty cup, shoebox, or even a laundry basket will do.  Something you can freely manipulate is best. 
(If you are unable to obtain an empty container, or are unable to manipulate physical objects, feel free to imagine one instead, and follow along with the exercise in your mind.)

You will also need some sort of small object that will fit within the container.
(Once again, an imaginary object will do just fine.)

Examine (or imagine examining) your empty container.  For the purposes of this exercise, imagine that the container represents the boundaries of the entire universe.  Within those boundaries rests everything that exists in the universe.  At present, there exists only Nothing.  There is nothing other than Nothing.  There is no past, no future, nor even time to measure them by.  There is no good, no bad, nor even judgement to measure them by.  Only Nothing.  There is no hope, no despair nor even any wish that things be other than they are.  All there is, is Nothing.  In a sense, Nothing is Everything.

Now, place (or imagine placing) a small object in the container.  The container  itself - representing the boundaries of the universe - has not changed.  However, the contents of the container - everything that exists in the universe - is now very different from what it was just a moment ago.  In fact, prior to the introduction of this object into the universe, there was not even the concept of "a moment ago." Prior to this, one could not have even described something in terms of what there was "prior."  The very concepts of time and past and future sprang into being the moment that object was introduced to the universe. 

Interestingly, this effect - this conceptual creation - has far-reaching effects, both forward and backward in the (newly created) concept of time.  By creating the concept of a past in the present, we also have created the concept of a future in the past.

To illustrate this, think back on the original state of the universe, when Nothing was Everything.  Notice there now are things there that were not there before.  There is now a Future distinctly and tangibly different than the Present.  In fact, the very concept of Tangibility exists where there was no such concept before, (although its presence is at that particular moment felt only by its absence).  That a future now exists distinctly different from the present means that the concept of Possibility now exists.  All these fundamental changes in the original state of the universe have forever changed the nature of Nothing, and our relationship to Nothing.  Now, when we see Nothing, we are also seeing the Possibility of Something.

Now, once again examine (or imagine examining) the container and the object in it.  In that state, the universe (the contents of the container) clearly contains Something.  No longer is the universe filled with Nothing.  In fact, Nothing (in its original state) no longer exists in that universe, anywhere.  Even the space remaining in the container is no longer filled with Nothing.  That space now contains several other concepts, such as Distance, Direction, and even the concept of Space itself.  Nothing itself, however, is gone.

Gone where, though?

Now, remove (or imagine removing) the object from the container.  Suddenly, Nothing has re-emerged.  However, this Nothing is not the same as the original Nothing.  This Nothing now holds the concepts associated with that object, in the form of Possibility.  For example - the object had Length, so now the Nothing that exists here now represents the Possibility of Length.  Likewise, Nothing now represents the Possibility of Color, and the Possibility of Mass.  Every aspect that the object could have been measured by - every concept that has ever been present in that universe is now present in the original state of the universe, as a Possibility, in Nothing.

In addition to the concepts of Past, Present and Future, the appearance and subsequent disappearance of the object have distinguished other new concepts:  Change, and the Possibility of Change.

If you introduce multiple objects into your container, concepts like More and Less become distinguished and projected as Possibilities into Nothing.

Each time a new object is introduced to the universe, new possibilities are integrated into Nothing.  Ultimately, if this exercise were drawn out enough, one conceivably could transform Nothing from its original state (when Nothing = Everything) to a decidedly different state, where Nothing = the Possibility of Anything.

This gives us a whole new way to relate to Nothing, which we will explore more deeply in the chapters to follow.