16. Here a Frequency, There a Frequency,

Everywhere a Frequency

• A wavelength is measured from start of a crest (or trough) of one wave, to the same point on the crest (or trough) of the next wave.

• Frequency refers to the number of wavelengths that pass a certain point in a given amount of time, and, is usually measured in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz).

We shall see what we can see

Our view of the world, and of life itself, is restricted to our ability to translate the infinite frequencies that surround us. With one sort of sensor, we can pick up electromagnetic energy that has a frequency of between one-half to three-quarters of a million billion cycles per second (5 x 10¹⁴ to 7.5 x 10¹⁴). With a different kind of sensor we are able to detect mechanical energy that has a frequency higher than 15 to 20 cycles per second (or Hertz) and lower than 20,000 Hz. That frequency (15 – 20,000 Hz) is sound. The first range of frequencies is visible light—all the colours in the rainbow. And yet that is just the energy we sense naturally. It is not all that exists!

In the natural dimension (i.e. natural for human beings), our senses have built-in limitations, so our slice of perceived reality is extremely narrow. Anything that is smaller than a certain crucial size is invisible to us (ex. bacteria, viruses, certain algae and fungi). Detail is lost as an object moves farther away from us in space-time, so while everyone's eyesight varies, none of us can see a dust mite with our naked eyes. Neither can we see the rings of Saturn without visual aid, for in a natural healthy environment, we have no physiological need to notice this invisible world; it lives in balance with us. It is the wanting to see that motivates us to build powerful microscopes, telescopes, and particle accelerators.

There is a lot more “reality” happening than what we know about. We could stand right next to an elephant or whale, and not be aware that it is calling to a herd- or pod-mate a kilometre away, for both mammals have the ability to emit sounds so low, they slip beneath our threshold of consciousness. When a dog suddenly cocks an ear and listens intently to something we cannot hear, we can be reasonably certain that it is a frequency faster than 20,000 Hz. (a high pitched sound that we cannot hear). We cannot see (hear, touch, taste or smell) infrared light or X rays, radio waves or gamma rays, microwaves, ultraviolet light or brain waves but we know these various wavelengths are present because we theorized their existence through observation of the natural world, then looked for evidence of it, and for potential explanation. If our technology has shown us one thing, it is that reality (i.e. the present) depends on logical and complementary interaction between (what we see as) subject and object. The existence of something in the future rests on the nature of this interaction.

Just as astronomers speak of looking into the “past” when gazing at the stars, so it might be useful to think of looking at the microscopic world as a glimpse into the “future”, for the creatures that exist here are—from our point of view—preparatory Beings who permit (or prevent) life in the present. Just as the activity inside the brain manifests a particular observable reality, so the many organisms that exist are active in preparation or maintenance of our own tangible reality. If we imagine that certain small Beings (such as bacteria, insects and such) should be eradicated, we should give ourselves a little shake and balance this arrogant imagination by acknowledging that we cannot possibly know every last cause and effect, and may well be eliminating some vital part of our future.

Dust to Dust

• Where life exists, it exists with purpose and complementarity.

A small animal seeks sanctuary in your garden where it spends its last hours beneath the aromatic branches of a cedar. There it dies. Since the animal's body is no longer needed in the present macroscopic world, microscopic bacteria begin immediately to dismantle the cells, making it easier for larger beings (insects) to do their thing. Only the most steely-minded (and stomached) among us would not feel nauseous if we were to come across a rotting corpse. But extraordinarily, considering how many birds and animals live around us, we rarely ever come across such sights, not only because passing life forms usually try to find private peaceful places to spend their final moments, but because entire societies of animals (birds, insects, bacteria etc.) work quickly, keeping the present quite cadaver-free.

Next: Fusing Science and Religion