“…the direction of time vary depending on the speed of the observer.” FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
01. THE DAWN - INNER LIGHT
06:53
02. GLOWING LIGHT
07:57
03. DAZZLING LIGHT
08:58
04. FADING LIGHT
06:36
05. SPARSE LIGHT
08:12
06. DARKNESS - THE DAWN
07:48
“…it is cruel to keep a fish in a bowl with curved sides because, gazing out, the fish would have a distorted view of reality. But how do we know we have the true, undistorted picture of reality? Might not we ourselves also be inside some big goldfish bowl and have our vision distorted by an enormous lens?”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
01. THE DAWN - INNER LIGHT
I don’t remember anything. The feeling is strange, the paradox of remembering something that actually can’t exist. It exists only because it is a memory. I sleep so deep I’m not able to perceive the devastating babel around me. I’m in total darkness, a liquid darkness, hot and cold simultaneously.
Within the liquid there’s a vibration, and the whole universe is here. In that darkness, even the most insignificant light is dazzling. Pulsing, profound and infinite. Curiosity, joy and serenity are fused with fear. No consciousness. Nothing and everything are here. Every grain of sand, every drop of water. Every tear and every smile of every human being, all the blood and every thought. All the beauty.
“...although we have non rational grounds for believing in an objective reality, we also have no choice but to act as if it is true.”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
02. GLOWING LIGHT
My hands hold the handlebar firmly. A deep breath and I’m off.
I try to get some speed, it’s the only way to not fall down again. My legs are full of scratches. His hand still holds me up, but not for long. Go go go, faster! Feet, legs, spine, and I can hear my heart beating fast.
I’m about to crash again, but suddenly I realise I’m still on. It seems incredible, my brain and body together at last understand how to do it. A sensation that repeats over and over again, so many times. Like when you score a heel flick goal, or a perfect 3 point shot. Like when you look at a girl right in her eyes and realise that it’s going to be your first kiss. Like when logarithms are suddenly no longer a mystery. Like when you manage to play that very difficult song until the end without making mistakes. Like when you do that perfect overtake in a go-kart race. When you finally do it, after failing so many times.
“Model-dependent realism applies not only to scientific models but also to the conscious and sub-conscious mental models we all create in order to interpret and understand the everyday world. There is no way to remove the observer - us - from our perception of the world, which is created through our sensory processing and through the way we think and reason. Our perception - and hence the observations upon which our theories are based - is not direct, but rather is shaped by a kind of lens, the interpretative structure of our human brains.”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
03. DAZZLING LIGHT
Becoming a father changes everything. It is a very strong feeling when you look into the eyes of another human being, an unquestionable part of yourself, and see reflected there your own eternity.
That genetic puzzle is the basis of a loop that tends to perfection. A perfection that can never be reached, only slightly touched for a short while. Our eyes, our ears and our judgement prevents us from glimpsing perfection. But not that time. That time everything was perfect. That sensation was absolutely new, unique and unforgettable. From the first time I saw her I knew instantly that nothing would have been the same again.
“We each exist for but a short time, and in that time explore but a small part of the whole universe”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
04. FADING LIGHT
Cycles open and close. We go round and round like hamsters. Nevertheless every lap is full of sensations. Amazement, joy, boredom, anxiety, fear, adrenaline, rage, love. Fear and love. I saw energy fade away slowly. I saw it suddenly end. I saw it changes until it no longer supports life as we know it. But the most intriguing thing is that this energy, just before ending, becomes very powerful. Fear and love. So much fear. And if we’re lucky, so much love.
“Most scientists would say that the laws of nature are the mathematical reflection of an external reality that exists independent of the observer who sees it. But as we ponder the manner in which we observe and form concepts about our surroundings, we bump into the question, do we really have reason to believe that an objective reality exists?”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
05. SPARSE LIGHT
Lights blink and switch off in a babel. The wind is powerful and surrounding. I know I’m inside a dream. Clouds are below me and the whole world is as light as a feather. I can’t wake up. I feel fear and serenity at the same time.
Time, that no longer exists.
“In string theory the extra dimensions are curled up into what is called the internal space, as opposed to the three-dimensional space that we experience in everyday life.”
FROM “THE GRAND DESIGN” - STEPHEN HAWKING AND LEONARD MLODINOW
06. DARKNESS - THE DAWN
In that primordial liquid there is fire. In the ice of loneliness there is the heat that melts the inverted eternity and transforms it in time. Trapped in the darkness there is light. Trapped in silence, sound.
