Golden Lessons in Alchemy
August 6. What a day to be alive. Grab a coffee and let’s get smarter together.
A while ago we learned that men like to think about the Roman Empire. I’m not sure if it’s the space and air under the toga or the cool chariots. But who am I to judge when I like to think about alchemists. I bring them up for reasons that will become clear as I go on.
First off though, let me shower you with a bit of knowledge, what’s my way to show love. Al is the definite article in the Arabic language. But χημεία/ khemeia was in turn borrowed by the Arabs from Old Greek. But this word again might go back to the Egyptian term keme, meaning ‘black earth’, which refers to the fertile and auriferous soil of the Nile valley, as opposed to red desert sand. Together this construct can be interpreted as ‘the process of transmutation by which to fuse or reunite with the divine or original form’. That’s to say, alchemists were concerned with the transmutation of matter, in particular with attempts to convert base metals into gold.
This goal was also why the alchemists’ attempts were foredoomed.
Today we know that all matter including metals is made up of atoms. Atoms again are composed of a nucleus circled by electrons which are waves. Since a multiple of the wavelength must fit in the circle, the electrons can only circle the nucleus on specific orbits, which allows them to reach their lowest energy state. The same goes for the nucleus. Energy is released and functions as electromagnetic glue. The parts of the atom are at an equilibrium with each other. What means that the material things combined in an atom have managed to get a small step closer to achieve their main goal: being in their lowest energy state while being at an equilibrium with their surroundings. As a side product a low level pattern has come into existence.
Different metals have different numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and just as many electrons on the orbits. Hence, converting base metals into gold means adding or subtracting the same number of protons, neutrons, and electrons to get to 79 for each. It can be done in tiny amounts when using a particle accelerator. But the work of creating of the low level pattern is still done by the material things themselves.
Trying to merge humans into a higher level pattern, a higher level collective intelligence, by influencing them from the outside to reap the advantages of a collective intelligence, is repeating the mistake of alchemists all over again. Whether its lead or gold or one version of intelligence or another all that are byproducts of the process of matter seeking its lowest energy state while at an equilibrium with the surroundings. That needs to be achieved and collective intelligence will arise. The way there needs to be explored and can only be explored in interaction between us.
Explore. AKA think. Make a habit out of thinking. Let’s turn thinking into the norm again.
Like, comment, share – and follow lest you miss a single opportunity to improve yourself and society. Once you do, we’ll meet again. At the coffeepot.
To watch this post as a video, go here.
#science #history #reality #alchemy #collectiveintelligence #gold #self #mind #brain #thinking #explore
