Nothing

How many of you have heard of the expression "the glass is half full". I'm going to show you a variation of it. [I open a can of Pepsi and pore some of it into a clear glass so that it is half full of Pepsi.] Is the glass half full or half empty (in other words: half full of nothing)? [I write down a simple math equation on the chalkboard "½(Pepsi) + ½(nothing or air) = 1(full glass)"] Now, simple math tells us that the glass is in fact completely full. So don't let anyone ever tell you the glass is only half full or half empty.

How many of you smoke, hands up? Well I'm sure everyone is familiar with the phrase "smoking can kill you". Duh!! I mean what kind of an anti-smoking advertisement is that "smoking can kill you". Well guess what, "nothing can kill you". I don't mean that you are invincible and nothing can kill you. I mean that if you do nothing you will die because you will eventually die anyway.

But strangely "nothing" is exactly what makes existence possible and it is the only thing in the universe that is truly invincible and unchangeable. You can't destroy it if you tried. You can destroy everything in your house and there will still be nothing in it. But let's go farther than that. Let’s suppose that we get rid of nothing. For that to be possible that means that everything in the universe would be substance (something). [I draw a simple hydrogen atom on the chalkboard showing the "nothing" between protons and electrons]. Well if there is nothing but substance, how do you distinguish the protons from the electrons or anything from anything else for that mater. All of it is the same. There might as well BE nothing. This proves that in order for anything to exist, there has to be nothing within which something can exist. That's right, it's because of nothing that YOU even exist.

So if nothing is so important to existence, how can we measure it you might ask? Well you can't really measure it can you? So then let's compare nothing to zero; that is how most people perceive it. Yet if we take space for instance (nothing) it is infinite. Now some scientists have suggested that the universe is expanding just as our very own galaxy is expanding [I draw a rough diagram of the galaxy]. But in order for something to expand it has to have an edge, right? So then what would be beyond the edge of the universe. You can think of nothing can you? Well that's exactly right. But if nothing is already a part of our universe, that means our universe has no edge and therefore it is infinite. So then how can infinity (the universe) be expanding and growing bigger, when infinity plus infinity is still infinity? That is exactly why the universe has to be infinite; because it can't be finite. So much for the big bang theory.

But what exactly is nothing really. Let's take this glass of Pepsi [I drink it empty]. There is nothing in it. If there is nothing in it how can I even identify what is in it because I just said nothing is in it. That means that nothing is in fact something because we can identify it. So then really there is no such thing as nothing. Yes, I know, by saying this I've just contradicted everything I've said before it. But it's true because nothing being infinite as it is, means that it is and isn't at the same time.... ; it has to include all possibilities. Infinity.

You know, when thinking about it, it's factually quite amazing that it is even a human concept though we can't even completely understand the idea of nothing. But hopefully that's not the case here. If so, then I really have been talking about nothing this whole time. It's quit a hypnotic topic wouldn't you say? So I'm going to count to three and when I reach three I will snap my fingers and you will remember ...nothing. 1, 2, 3.