Entanglement

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Einstein, famously and disdainfully, declared quantum entanglement to be "spooky action at a distance,” and refused to accept the idea throughout his life. It is easy to understand his discomfort. Basically “entanglement" asserts that two entangled particles will demonstrate instantaneous reactions when only one of the pair is stimulated. Not a huge conceptual problem if the particles happen to live close to one another. But entanglement further asserts that distance is irrelevant, that entangled particles can be light years apart and will still demonstrate these instantaneous and simultaneous reactions when either one of the particles is stimulated.

Suddenly some fundamental beliefs about the nature of the universe get trashed like the leftovers at a demolition derby. Primary among the wrecks is the idea that nothing can exceed the speed of light. Yet, if two particles separated by light years can react simultaneously and instantaneously to a stimulus applied to only one particle, some type of information passed between the particles at a speed that makes the old speed of light seem positively pedestrian.

I suppose that should surprise us, but then again we need to remember that some 94% of the universe remains invisible to us. Hence, our ideas of “normal” come from often fuzzy observations of the 5 or 6% of “reality” that we can see. So the idea that such linked, instantaneous, communication might be commonplace in the wider “dark” universe becomes plausible and intriguing, to say the least. Among the related questions that occur to me are:

Is there a particle that is the enactor of entanglement? A “tangletron?" Or a field consisting of some kind of tangling bosons that enables instantaneous communication throughout the universe? And if it is there, why is it there and what manner of communication does it enable? And then the one that most fascinates me: Do we already participate in entangled experiences without realizing the mechanism? 

Consider this:

It is not uncommon for partners in the first bloom of a romantic relationship to assert that they were lovers in a former life, that they are soulmates, etc., etc.  While such declarations may well crash and burn in the long run, there is no denying the power of the initial attraction, nor the mysterious power that sustains some relationships for a lifetime.  Listen to any love song, read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116 - the “love is not love” one. We are seemingly in love with love. Underlying Distilled Harmony [www.distilledharmony.com] is the idea that harmony is the natural state of existence, that there is a universal harmony, "The God Chord,” -  that I discussed in my book by the same name.  There is a universal chord, a transcendent state to which we can all aspire and eventually obtain. Perhaps romantic love is among the most common human manifestations of an entangled interaction with the God Chord. Being able to somehow sense the location or presence of the other, being able to predict the behavior of the other, finishing each other’s sentences. Might these not be evidence of entangled interactions?

And, to return briefly to the recent posts on expressionist memory, it seems to me quite feasible that the palette of expressionist memories is drawn from various entangled interactions - from those strong notes in our own chord that are entangled with the notes of universal harmony.  Which also addresses the expressionist memory notion of discarding the negative components of memories while retaining and nurturing the harmonic portions of the same experiences.  We retain harmony, we discard discord.

I am further inclined to consider that this “spooky action at a distance” touches all experience, not only human interactions. Art, music, nature, science, philosophy, physical activity - all these fields have language that points to these indescribable moments of perceived harmony: In the zone. In the groove. Feeling it. And, yes, transcendent.  We arrive somewhere we have never been before and feel “at home.” We listen to a piece of music and lose touch with our immediate surroundings, returning only when the music stops and we find ourselves deposited back in a more mundane “reality.” Standing before a painting we are transported to the world within the frame.

There are certainly more prosaic explanations for these phenomena. More pragmatic explanations drawn from our direct experiences in that small portion of the universe we can most easily observe. I would suggest, however, allowing ourselves to consider that entangled experience may be the universal norm beyond our little bubble of light, and that that norm - entanglement - moves easily, if invisibly, around and through us, weaving wonderful ties to the rest of existence.

We need to leave ourselves open to these entanglements - with individuals, with art, with science, with music and with nature; for it is through these entanglements that we blend the notes of our own chord with the notes of The God Chord.

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Kites of Darkness

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A coronet of consciousness 

Circles the two o'clock hour. 

Born aloft by kites of darkness  

Drifting on a tether between  

Sunset and first dawn. 

Impervious to the hours past 

Since slumber's onset 

Or morning's impending obligations. 

Driven perhaps by blinking numerals 

It nudges my eyelids open 

And requires an auditory sweep 

Of the immediate environs. 

Born more of curiosity than concern, 

It resolves the darker pools of shadow  

And blinking points of light 

Into the expected dips and edges 

Of what should surround me. 

And sleep becomes an option. 

Unless the wail of a train 

Or the drumming of rain 

Demands further attention. 

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A Short[er] Footnote on Expressionist Memory

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I know, I know - “Surely he has beaten this idea to death!”  But not quite.

It strikes me that I might have left you with the idea that expressionist memory is a naturally occurring phenomenon.  That is only partially true.  Memory is a naturally occurring phenomenon - expressionist memory requires some work on our part.  In this way it is similar to lucid dreaming. Dreaming seems to be a naturally occurring phenomenon - normally, we dream whether we choose to dream or not. Lucid dreaming builds on that phenomenon. Wikipedia asserts that "A lucid dream is any dream during which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming. During lucid dreaming, the dreamer may be able to exert some degree of control over the dream characters, narrative, and environment.” [http://bit.ly/2bKt37K].  We also exert a degree of control in the construction of expressionist memories. 

Expressionist memories are central to our construction of the beliefs that define reality. Hence they need to be consistent with our beliefs regarding the nature of existence. For me, that means my expressionist memories must be consistent with the four basic tenets of Distilled Harmony [www.distilledharmony.com]: Foster Harmony, Enable Beauty, Distill Complexity, and Oppose Harm.  So my expressionist memories form in part by discarding those portions of hyperthymesiatic recall that are conflict with those tenets of Distilled Harmony. 

Yes, I realize that implies an intentional distortion of “the reality experienced.” But what kind of memory doesn’t do that? Yes, hyperthymesiatic memory that traps one in a freeze frame high definition of what “really” happened. And is also often seen as an abnormal characteristic, if not a condition bordering on a disease.  More normal memories fade over time, leaving the peaks and valleys. In constructing intentional expressionist memories I seek to hold to the peaks, discarding the valleys.

But here is an important distinction - I said discarding the valleys, not repressing them.  John’s [14:2] assertion that we live in a reality with many mansions, is only one of many admissions across belief systems, philosophies and scientific schemes that asserts that we are inclined to compartmentalize our lives. One of the drawings in my coloring book [http://amzn.to/2bQdhFw] started out as a sort of Route 66 old motel, but then got hijacked by a herd of rogue eggplants. OK, strange, but the idea of bits of life poised behind many different doors remains: 

That complexity is just fine - it is what makes us human, interesting, complex.  But if we repress the valleys of recalled experiences, we are merely hiding them away in a room we ignore. They can fester there, eventually rotting the foundations of our reality to such an extent that the whole thing can come crashing down around our ears, landing us in a padded room, or on a very expensive couch in a office with potted plants and soft music.

Discarding is a conscious act of elimination.  It is not so much a “Get away! Get away! Get in that room!” Slam. Now I walk away leaving you locked up in there” scenario, as it is a “Been there, done that. Let me show you the door. Good byeeeeeeeeee!” kind of thing.

To go back to the expressionist painting analogy - which is after all, where I stole the whole idea of expressionist memory - expressionist memories are the palettes from which we paint our lives. We choose the dominant hues of that composition.  I choose calm and pleasing colors.

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