On Limitations

The physical reality must be, by every measure, infinite.

I wish to put forward the simplest and most readily acceptable of contentions, and to draw from this a series of implications: That which exists cannot abut that which does not exist. As there can be no boundary marking the transition from existence to non-existence, reality as we know it must be infinite. There must be something above and below, before and after, the universe. The universe must be within something, and that something must be encapsulated in something still larger, and within whatever quanta of matter or energy that is supposed smallest, there must be something smaller still.

Spatial limitation

If we were to travel to the far reaches of the physical reality, if we were to discern some boundary to the universe or multiverse, or whatever else we wish to name the ultimate encompassing field of extant material, we must imply the existence of what we claim does not exist. If I am to say, on the other side of this wall there is nothing, how have I not made it something? How can what does not exist possess the characteristic of location, be pointed to, or otherwise be said to adjoin what does exist? Even if this is a black and empty void, it is still a black and empty void that exists. A boundary implies a transition from existence to non-existence, and this we cannot admit.

Temporal limitation

If we were to rewind the clock of time back to the supposed beginning of existence, what would we have witnessed? To believe in a “beginning” is to claim the existence of a time of non-existence. Do you see the paradox in this? If for a moment we allowed for the position that “something came from nothing,” the dictates of semantics and rationality would quickly bring this impossibility in from the cold, and into the folds of harmonious reason, saying that though it be featureless and indescribable in every way, by its connection to what exists, and by its recognition in the mind, it must necessarily be ranked among the mass of things that exist. The same applies to an end, for going into the ground implies the existence of this “ground,” just as much as being unearthed from it.

Size limitation

Imagine now, the final, elementary particle: the elementary particle that is the foundation for all things in existence. For it to be the basic element that constitutes all else, and to not be itself a combination of some other elements, it must quite literally be made of nothing. If it is made of something, is it not removed from its status as ultimate and elementary? This must necessarily mark, then, another boundary between existence and non-existence.

If one, temporarily calling on the powers of God, were to shrink down to this size, and then move to shrink some more, would they be resisted by some invisible force? This must, then, be said to be a boundary on existence. If this particle is to have any spatial qualities whatsoever, no matter how minuscule, God must be able to reduce to a size still smaller and look at that invisible modicum as a mountain or tidal wave. What would the inside of its body consist of? Must it be impenetrable and unbreakable even before omnipotence? This must, then, be said to be a boundary on existence.

There can be no finality to size in either direction without a spatial boundary to existence. If we were to grow and expand to the size of the universe, and the size of the multiverse, and to the size of an unknown vastitude beyond that, where would our growth be at last checked by the unsurpassable extent of existence? It could not be.

If there is infinite smallness and infinite largeness, there must be no true meaning to any measurement. The breadth of a hair, to a small enough being, could serve as a multiverse; and, to another being, inconceivably massive, our multiverse would be the eye of a needle. Each step I take is across an infinite expanse.

Possibility limitation

The range of possibility being the full accounting of potential happenings, we find that the introduction of any one new element allows for at least one more hypothetical interaction. If every measure of existence is limitless, there is no allowable limitation on possibility either. Armed with infinite elements, infinite range of movement, and infinite time, there can be no final accounting of possible occurrences. The only impossibility is impossibility itself.

End

Limitations, the deciders of impossibility, are themselves impossible. With the breaking of these final chains, we find existence free in the highest form. We find measurement meaningless, and, by the circular formation underlying our intellect, if measurement is meaningless then meaning itself becomes illusory. Measurement is the standard by which we give all things meaning. It is the foundation of all significance beyond the qualia; it is the basis of the descriptors applied to all real things. Without measurement and standards, all is ever-shifting and immaterial. Life is a dream with infinite possibilities and zero meaning. Enjoy.