What If There’s a Mirror Universe?
Only 500 years ago, it was widely accepted that the earth was at the center of the universe.
Then came Copernicus, Galileo and the heliocentric model of the solar system, with the sun in
the middle, marking a paradigm shift in how we understood our own importance in the cosmos.
But, what would change if we today discovered a completely different universe alongside
our own?
This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; What if there’s
a mirror universe?
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Theories on multiple universes aren’t a new phenomenon.
They’ve been explored within the highest circles of science and philosophy, and they’re
a popular science fiction and fantasy trope seen everywhere from “Star Trek” to “Stranger
Things”.
In fact, there’s at least five major academic theories as to how parallel universes could
be possible, and a 2016 study even argued that a mirror universe genuinely exists where
time moves backwards instead of forwards… the idea being that such a place makes just
as much mathematical sense as our own universe does.
In some ways the question is an offshoot from the theory of Infinite Universes, which says
that space-time is endless, and is therefore home to all possible combinations of atoms.
According to this proposal, there are infinite variations of our own universe, with people
just like you living within them, but with minor differences each time.
If true, then logic says that there’s a universe out there which has already discovered
its mirror image twin - where everything’s the same, but backwards.
So, what if that universe was our own?
And, are we already part-way to proving it?
A 2017 study raised the possibility of at least “other” universes, by focusing on
a cold spot in space.
This “spot” is a large area that’s much cooler than the rest of the surrounding universe
and doesn’t truly fit within our current cosmological models.
So the theory goes, the cold spot could’ve been created by our own universe colliding
with another in the past.
Elsewhere, leading astrophysicists such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene and Michio
Kaku have all proposed that we could identify a mirror universe with new technology or a
better understanding of dimensions….
Bearing in mind that String Theory, currently one of the leading candidates as a “Theory
for Everything”, points to there being at least ten dimensions.
So, say we actually discover a mirror universe that’s filled with mirror images of ourselves;
what would the repercussions be?
As imagined in things like the DC comics and Star Trek, the mirror people could have a
twisted sense of morality, a completely different sense of right and wrong, and hopes, dreams
and ambitions totally at odds with our own.
On the other hand, they may have avoided making various mistakes that we ourselves have made.
Perhaps our own global concerns like climate change and nuclear war aren’t as prevalent
in the mirror universe, for instance.
Regardless of the status and condition of such a place, the knowledge that it even exists
could prove a huge mental challenge for the majority of us.
Many would outright refuse to believe it (even with proof), while those who did accept it
could panic at the news, now uncomfortably aware of our - and even our own universe’s
- apparent insignificance.
As a widespread existential crisis sets in, depression cases could soar, some might try
to isolate themselves within their newly alien reality, and others could see the revelation
of their own alter-ego as granting them free reign to behave in whichever way they feel
like - because what would it matter, anyway?
At the same time, we’d see others excited, amazed and motivated by such a seismic and
fundamental change to their lives.
They’d no doubt be eager to study and learn more about the still-mysterious mirror universe,
in a bid to somehow contact their alternative selves, making cross-universe connections
between us and them.
Religions could well form around these new versions of ourselves, perhaps calling them
Gods or higher beings.
But what about religions that already exist?
For some, the confirmation of another universe would strengthen their belief in one supreme
being; for others, it would shatter it.
We could well adopt the ancient Greek “Atomist” way of thinking, which saw philosophers argue
that what we now call the multiverse disproves the need for any God.
According to them, the emergence of other universes would explain how everything works
so perfectly in our own.
Instead of a creator God, unlimited replicas of our own world show that our specific experience
of life is simply inevitable.
That’s not to say that a parallel realm would instantly dismantle all established
religious beliefs, though.
Perhaps Christianity would see our mirror selves as having sinned and fallen from grace…
Or even vice versa, where, in fact, we are the ones who have failed.
Hinduism teaches that we reincarnate on earth based on our actions in previous lives.
So, from that perspective, an exact mirror image of ourselves could be part of our individual
learning process and growth, on the way to eventual transcendence.
The philosophical implications would be similarly self-reflective.
Mirror universes and alter-egos would unforgivingly show that we’re extremely insignificant
and small, even more so than we currently believe.
It’d mean that we’re not so unique after all, but are perhaps just one of many mass-produced
versions of ourselves - all existing along a spectrum between the “us” in this world
and our direct opposite in the mirror world.
In which case, who’s to say that we - as in the version of us alive as we currently
comprehend it - are the best version of our own self?
The Moral Foundations Theory identifies specific moral belief systems and explains how all
humans have an underlying moral compass that’s similar to most other people’s.
As per the theory, we don’t generally like to cause harm to others, and we strive for
fairness.
But our mirror selves would harbour the exact opposite ideals - and, if mirror versions
really does imply an infinite number of versions between us and them - then that moral code
is constantly tweaked from one universe to the next to the next.
Finally, because of the almost unfathomable link we’d share with the mirror universe,
it could help us make sense of other largely unexplained phenomena.
There are various theories on why we experience Déjà Vu, for example, but we’ve yet to
identify a definite reason.
Some believe that it’s the result of remembering or experiencing another life, so a confirmed
mirror world could then explain Déjà Vu as simply a brief glimpse into that alternate
space.
Similarly, we’d have an all new take on the deep-rooted meanings behind our dreams,
with suggestions that they could signal a shared consciousness with our mirror selves
while we sleep.
The discovery of a mirror universe would mean much more than plain speculation, though.
It’d impact every choice we make, every risk we take and every belief we hold… because
we’d know that somewhere there’s someone doing the exact opposite.
When we say yes, they say no; When we turn left, they turn right; When we breathe in,
they breathe out…
And, just to increase the existential weirdness, perhaps they’d be acutely aware of us, as
well.
Life would be a fundamentally different experience.
And that’s what would happen if we discovered a mirror universe.
What do you think?
Is there anything we missed?
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