As I sat with my youngest recently, watching a rerun of Marvel’s 2018 ‘Avengers: Endgame’, I couldn’t help but smile at his wide-eyed fascination with the concept of time travel.
“Can we really do that, papa?” he asked, his voice filled with wonder and hope, especially after listening to the so-called scientifically plausible explanation made by Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk character.
My immediate impulse was to launch into a scientific explanation as to why time travel, as depicted in the movie, was currently impossible. But then I paused, remembering the words of Carl Sagan: “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.”
This little talk with my son got me thinking about the broader implications of how we approach the unknown, the seemingly impossible. In our rapidly advancing world, it’s easy to dismiss ideas that don’t fit within our current understanding of science and technology. But isn’t this dismissal contrary to the very essence of human progress?
Consider for a moment the Wright Brothers and their audacious dream of human flight. In 1903, when they achieved the first sustained and controlled flight, they shattered the limits of what was (then) thought possible. Had they listened to the naysayers who claimed that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible, we might still be earthbound today.
Or think about the concept of quantum entanglement, a phenomenon so bizarre that Albert Einstein himself called it “spooky action at a distance”, due to the fact that quantum particles seemed to be communicating faster than the speed of light. Today, it’s not only accepted science but also forms the basis for emerging technologies like quantum computing and cryptography.
Interestingly I must add, and unknown to many, we are already living with the benefits of quantum effects in our lives. Many modern electronic devices are designed using quantum mechanics, whenever there is a need for some computational units such as computers, smartphones, laptops, and tablets. This is because they are built using “integrated chips”, that require semiconductor materials that in turn base its function on quantum principles. But let’s not digress that far today.
My point is, humanity’s greatest achievements (so far) have often stemmed from ideas that were once considered impossible. Our history is littered with examples of how pushing against the boundaries of the known has led to revolutionary discoveries and innovations.
So, why should we stop exploring concepts like time travel just because we don’t yet know how to achieve them?
Moreover, the very act of imagining and working towards seemingly impossible goals is a uniquely human trait. It’s what sets us apart as a species. Our ability to conceptualise abstract ideas, to dream beyond our current capabilities, has been the driving force behind our evolution and progress.
As we stand on the brink of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, with machines increasingly capable of logical and analytical tasks, our capacity for imagination and “illogical” exploration becomes even more crucial. It’s exactly these uniquely human traits that will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
In the words of the renowned science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible”.
So, to my son, and to all the dreamers out there, I say this – Don’t stop thinking about time travel, or any other “impossibles” that capture your imagination. It’s through these wild dreams and relentless pursuits that we push forward as a species, constantly redefining what’s possible.
Maybe, just maybe, one day, we’ll be having this conversation across different time periods, ala Christopher Nolan’s 2014 science fiction thriller ‘Interstellar’. Until then, let’s keep asking for the unknowns, shall we? Perhaps the elusive Time Stone could really be out there.
Somewhere.
Dr Nahrizul Adib Kadri is an associate professor of biomedical engineering, and former director of Corporate Communications Centre, Universiti Malaya.
The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of Twentytwo13.
