with faith

we believe we are making

"something"

call it what you like

of the void

that

(always)

was

waiting

as if

--just for us--

but truly now we are making

[nothing]

the space

that is

our absence of

The way I see it, there are two types of nothing. One is relative, the other is perpetual.

Neither of them truly exist. You want to get technical? A bit of logic and poetry can help to explain.

If we’re talking about an absolute void of nothingness - complete nothingness witnessed by no thing and nobody, it wouldn’t matter if it existed or not. Nothing is there to experience it. It’s truly a crazy thing to think about, but if ‘nothing’ existed then it wouldn’t ‘exist’ in the first place. Existence is a word used only by those who exist.

If there were an outside observer, then the very word “nothing” makes it something; it’s still a place being observed.

Still with me ? Good.

Now, since we live in a universe, with energy, matter, and observers, the word “nothing” is an incorrect word to use. It’s more of an exaggeration. Some quotes that resonate:

“Nature abhors a vacuum” - Aristotle

“Nothingness not being nothing, nothingness being emptiness.” -Isabelle Adjani

In addition to that, “the usefulness of a cup, is its emptiness.” - Osho

Our laws of thermodynamics essentially state that a complete void of nothingness is impossible. Even in the depths of space, it’s not nothing. It still has the slightest temperature, and light waves travel its boundaries endlessly.

There is no such thing as a total absence of anything. Darkness? Just an absence of light. Evil? Just an absence of good. Cold? Just an absence of heat. But -30° C feels warm if you just experienced -40°. Every evil person has a chance to do good. Even the darkest night will always yield to light.

To get more personal, we all have a void within us. I find mine when a lover breaks my heart. When I experience true loneliness. When I drink or indulge in drugs, my emotions fade away. When I fail repeatedly, I feel worthless. If I have nowhere to belong, I feel as if I’m a waste of space.

But I am still me, I am still here, and I still feel even if it’s not much. This void I find within me is a canvas. Waiting for my direction, waiting for me to paint the most beautiful picture I can.

You see, there is no such thing as nothingness, so long as there’s a word for it.

"What's in a name?" I asked Sagar, the most mischievous student in my class. He had an annoying habit of doing everything but pay attention to the topic at hand,

After a brief pause, he stood up to amused murmurs:

"Shakespeare, Sir!"

"What's in a name?" I quipped triumphantly and the class exploded.

Sagar sat down with an embarrassed smirk.

Just for the record. I teach Mathematics, not Literature or Philosophy. Purist may argue abstract math comes close to the latter. Also, for the record, Sagar had interrupted me by complaining:

"Sir, yesterday you had used x as the variable but today you use y! Why?"

This had prompted my witty reaction.

Another ten minutes or so and I had just about finished finding the limit of a function where x < 0, followed by a neat line of chalk drawn down the middle of the blackboard. The portion on the right said "otherwise" at the top, followed by another set of steps calculating the limit when x >= 0.

I had barely turned around when Sagar, as was his wont, asked:

"Sir, I don't understand the otherwise part-"

I had fair bit to cover in the balance 15 minutes so I interrupted him and said:

"It's really simple Sagar! I'm wise and you're otherwise." and regretted it as soon as I finished even as the rest of the class enjoyed this banter.

Sagar remained standing, arms crossed. I ignored him and continued with the lecture.

At the end of the period, I reminded my wards of an assignment, due early next week.

"I know the concepts may be tough," I saged, "But remember: Nothing is Impossible!"

I then began gathering my books and bag when Sagar called out:

"Hold on, Sir! I believe nothing is possible."

Intrigued, I stopped and faced him:

"Okay. You're in a math class. Can you prove it?"

"Sure," he replied with a wide grin, "I've attended each of your lectures diligently this year but trust me, Sir, I learnt nothing!"

Not an object but a concept,

Only existing because its concieved

The alternative to something

Hipocritical fundementally.

If not for our ideas of it

Nothing would never be,

Gone yet actualized so ironically.

The entirety of our existence

is suspended in the definition

of our perspective.

Even the boundaries

can change,

have the possibility to rearrange,

dependent upon each individual claim

on the limitations of

impossible things.

He sees nothing

and it is zero, nil, an irretrievable loss,

an empty void of useless space.

She sees nothing

as a promise of grace,

of hope, creation, redemption,

and change.

They both see emptiness

but it's what they choose to do with that space.

These words are only

an ignorant human expression,

for I cannot purport to know

the solidity of fact,

of Absolute Truth,

to say otherwise is a fallacy,

self evident in the arrogance.

Choice

is what we have been granted

to work with,

this is what our Free Will is.

Nothing

is the silence between two people who were once each other's everything

Nothing

is the blank stare he gave me when I told him I wanted him to be mine forever

Nothing

is the last of our memories fading away the longer he's gone from my side

Nothing

is unrequited love

Nothing

is life after losing him

there is no nothing

try and create it

numb your mind

breathe in deeply

erase all thoughts

you'll fail

concepts ooze in

images manifest

stray feelings rise

dust long cleansed

observed accumulated

in the corner pockets

of your hoarder brain

where the swifter can't

reach with squidgy swipes

spiders webs materialize

gone to work as soon as

emptiness let them in

for us to understand

with certainty truth

nothing is sacred

nothing uncreatable

nothing indestructible

nothing unexistable

“I need a day where I can just do nothing,” I say to my lab partner. We’ve been working nonstop on this research for months, and we could use a break.

But we both know that we wouldn’t actually use a day off to do nothing. I need a day to do all of the things that go into being a functioning human. I’ve been eating out for every meal, my apartment is a mess, I can’t remember the last time I hung out with friends.

Nothing has been defined by some philosophers as “the absence of something.” I’m trying to imagine what my life would look like in the absence of my lab. What would I do?

On day one, I would sleep until noon. I would stay in bed and scroll through Pinterest, saving beautiful pictures and delicious recipes. I would drive to my local coffee shop, wearing an outfit that definitely does not follow the lab safety rules, and order a sugary drink and a pastry. While enjoying my food, I would sit there and read a good book. It would be a fiction book, for once, not some biochemistry journal. My laptop would be closed for the entire day. When I felt ready, I would go back home, order a pizza, and make myself a bubble bath and a glass of wine, then watch mindless tv shows until I fell asleep.

On day two, I would return to Pinterest. I would open all of the recipes I’ve saved, buy their ingredients, and cook myself a meal. A good meal. Not a fast food meal, or one from the university faculty cafeteria. After I would wash my dishes, wash the sink, wash the kitchen counter. I would finally live in a clean space.

By the end of week one, I would have started a few artistic hobbies, maybe painting or writing poetry. I would be spending more time outside, going on walks and listening to music. Maybe I would have plans with my friends.

By the end of month one, I would have traveled to new places. I’ve seen corners of the world I never had the time to visit. I would need a companion for this, so I probably adopted a pet.

By the end of year one, I would have allowed myself to actually feel my emotions. I allow my brain to go into deep thought. I wonder about how things work, why things work. I have regained my interest in learning. There’s so much to know! So much to figure out!

One year and one day into the absence of responsibilities, I will find myself back in a lab, trying to uncover the secrets of the world.

What is it?

This nothingness

And can it exist,

While I ponder it's existence?

Does it vanish on being considered?

And can nothing really vanish

If it wasn't ever there?

Or is it something so alien,

I cannot even fathom it

While I am here - violently alive

I have often thought

That death is nothingness

The moment my consciousness ends

There will be a void.

A sweet release

From the agony of life

The restlessness of feeling,

The drama of being an emotional creature,

Of a constantly changing body

Of the stormy reality in each breath

But even in death

The atoms that make up my body

Will remain

Slowly decomposing

To their raw parts

Until they are free.

Free to form some other thing

A plant, a rock, a fledgling bird

As I am made from past things

They will be made from me

So is there truly nothing?

I'm not sure

The question writhes in my mind

A curly question

The answer evades me

I can convince myself it's there

Then talk myself around

Some ideas are too complex

For my simple mind

Just too quantum to comprehend