THE MICROCOSM & THE MACROCOSM 

     We live between large and the small. Here the microcosm and the macrocosm are represented by the mathematical symbols of less than which points to the left, and greater than which points to the right. In addition to the traditional ladder of sizes they also represent; the earth, geology, the interaction of large and small, expansion and contraction, the primacy of math, the resolution of dualities, and a breathing exercise.     

   In the early science of traditional religion, we believed the earth was the center of a moral struggle. We hovered somewhere between heaven and hell. The Star of David connects heaven to earth, so does Calvary, as well as the Islamic the moon and star. Even astrology makes this connection. But as we peered through the microscope and telescope we gained a new understanding of the true vastness in which we lived.

  We learned that we were made of cells, and that stars were suns. We understood atoms and chemistry, and saw how stars formed galaxies. We understood the workings of atomic nuclei, and peered into the Big Bang. And once again, when these two worlds of size were taken together we found our selves very near the center. So we’re not so big and not so small, but held in the center, in the “arms of size”, cradled between the atoms, and stars. But the symbol can remind us that size doesn’t matter in other ways as well.

  Certain shapes, called fractals, are the same regardless of size. Examples include; clouds, trees and spirals. Fractals are strangely hidden inside other physical processes as well. One of these processes, one that connects the microcosm to the macrocosm is called chaos. A familiar example of chaos is smoke rising from a candle. At first it flows straight up, then a microscopic imperfection is amplified, and what was once straight, now becomes chaotic.

  Amplifying the microcosm is also familiar theme in movies, where a small incident frequently turns into something big and chaotic. But a more important example comes in the way cosmic rays cause mutations in DNA. Small effects on DNA can have big effects on evolution.

  The microcosm influences the macrocosm. And the macrocosm influences the microcosm. For instance every time you hitch up a battery you move single electrons. Indeed these two worlds interact in ways to numerous to mention.