# Are you the universe? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 29, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243 "2019-06-29T00:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/21 "2019-06-29T05:06:59Z")
OR to show what the center I got it from said: Level 1: Throwing away remembered thoughts Level 2: Throwing away images of myself, images of human relationships, and myself Level 3: Throwing away the body of my self Level 4: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe Level 5: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe Level 6: My self disappears and Become the universe Level 7: Throwing away the picture world and myself living in that world ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/22 "2019-06-29T05:22:02Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > Is it? Because it makes no sense. > > AS for the rest, my guess is that it’s looking at the universe as some kind of super organism. Or not. It’s usually followed by there being no birth or death, that what looks like birth is just rearranging matter and that there is nothing new it’s all just one thing. Gotta look into that bulk discount on irony meters… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/23 "2019-06-29T06:08:59Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > I see this line tossed around a lot and to me there just doesn’t seem to be evidence that we are nothing but a body. Yet does the law of conservation of matter factor into this? I’ve never heard this phrase before in my life. Who says this? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/24 "2019-06-29T06:36:31Z")
I am the Universe. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/25 "2019-06-29T06:57:11Z")
I used to be but then I went on a diet. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/26 "2019-06-29T07:23:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’ve never heard this phrase before in my life. Who says this? I predict the answer will be “they.” I’m not clairvoyant. I’ve just read enough of his threads to have they-ja vu. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/27 "2019-06-29T11:39:59Z")
No, Steven is the Universe. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/28 "2019-06-29T11:47:23Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > They said that before you there was the universe, but the atoms that make up my body didn’t always exist (the Big Bang was mostly hydrogen and helium). This is almost certainly true. Once the universe cooled sufficiently for atoms to start forming, the vast majority of matter was in the form of hydrogen, with tiny tiny amounts of helium and lithium. I should say the majority of “normal” matter, because there’s all the dark matter as well, and who the hell knows what that is. Larger atoms started to form largely once stars came into existence (something on the order of 500 million to 1 billion years) and started merrily engaging in fusion in their cores. In general, that allows for atoms up to iron size, meaning basically everything that you are made of. The really big honking stars would (and still do) occasionally go supernova, produce even bigger atoms and then blow up, seeding the universe with more massive elements. So the trace amounts of copper and nickel and whatever that you have floating around in you came from the corpses of exploding stars. The upshot is this: your physical, chemical makeup isn’t that special. Your body is made up of the same kinds of atoms as everything else, but the proportions are different than the Universe as a whole because you happen to be standing on one of the very, very rare chunks of dense matter. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/29 "2019-06-29T12:29:55Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > No. You are, physically, an infinitisimally small speck in the universe. True, and yet important. [QUOTE=Italo Calvino] Marco Polo describes a bridge, stone by stone. “But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” Kublai Khan asks. “The bridge is not supported by one stone or another,” Marco answers, “but by the line of the arch that they form.” Kublai Kahn remains silent, reflecting. Then he adds: “Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me.” Polo answers: “Without stones there is no arch.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![UnwittingAmericans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d9b06d/32.png) [@UnwittingAmericans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwittingAmericans)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/30 "2019-06-29T13:00:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’m wondering–did you get any splinters in your fingers ripping through the bottom of the barrel to reach this question? You must have missed “Semolina vs. Farina” ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/31 "2019-06-29T13:18:32Z")
Macchinaforce, is this your first time smoking pot? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/32 "2019-06-29T13:25:12Z")
I am Iron Man! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/33 "2019-06-29T15:46:17Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I am Iron Man! [DAH, DAH, DA-DA-DUH, DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA, DA-DA-DUH!](https://youtu.be/B93iWa4IPtc) ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/34 "2019-06-29T15:56:53Z")
You are part of the universe, so when you ask if I’m the universe you are asking if you are the universe. My mass is a part of this galaxy and the mass of this galaxy interacts with other galaxies. There may even be quantum phenomenon in space that emit two photons that can be detected in different galaxies, but the results can only be confirmed at the speed of light so it wouldn’t be known about in the lifetime of our race. The thing is, this thread was created and there were already many replies to it before I was ever aware of it. That’s good because not knowing everything makes things interesting. Perhaps what you are getting at is things would be better if it was all under one central control. That would be kind of boring and do away with free will. Besides, if say you wanted to orchestrate a few billion people it would take the brain power of a few billion people to process all the things they are doing. All those brains in one head would be an inconvenient solution. Instead, the universe put all those brains where their needed and I’m sure they are doing the best they can. So, whether we are all part of a fully connected whole or not it may not matter much. We each have awareness of a limited part of the universe around us and our influence on it isn’t all that strong on a cosmic scale. But that doesn’t mean what we do isn’t important. We can be either a positive or negative influence on the universe around us and that is especially important to the bits of the universe that are other people. As usual the best thing to do is keep an open mind, be kind and act honourably. It might make it one of the better parts of the universe. That’s the privilege the living bits of the universe have over the inanimate bits. And you don’t even need quantum detectatron to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/35 "2019-06-29T16:47:59Z")
I am the highway. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’ve never heard this phrase before in my life. Who says this? If you have to ask, you’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/36 "2019-06-29T16:52:19Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > How do you know it’s nonsense? It’s your OP. > [@Machinaforce](#): > > OR to show what the center I got it from said: > > Level 1: Throwing away remembered thoughts > Level 2: Throwing away images of myself, images of human relationships, and myself > Level 3: Throwing away the body of my self > Level 4: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe > Level 5: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe > Level 6: My self disappears and Become the universe > Level 7: Throwing away the picture world and myself living in that world Level 8: Women’s wear Level 9: Linens and bedroom furnishings Level 10: Customer service and returns Level 11: Throw away your computer and go outside for a walk. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/37 "2019-06-29T16:53:02Z")
I am large, I contain multitudes, does that count? ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/38 "2019-06-29T16:55:15Z")
> [@Machinaforce](#): > > OR to show what the center I got it from said: > > Level 1: Throwing away remembered thoughts > Level 2: Throwing away images of myself, images of human relationships, and myself > Level 3: Throwing away the body of my self > Level 4: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe > Level 5: Throwing away the body of my self and the universe > Level 6: My self disappears and Become the universe > Level 7: Throwing away the picture world and myself living in that world You know, you should really try to recycle more. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/39 "2019-06-29T17:57:56Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > I am the Universe. I am a fluke of the universe. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243/40 "2019-06-29T18:07:16Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I am a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-the-universe/836243.md?page=3)