What if you had an identical twin? What if you had 10 identical
twins? A million twins? what if all of these "others" were more
than just twins in the sibling sense? What if these others were
literally ?you,? yet living independently in their own world or
universe?Astonishing as it may seem, this may actually be the case.
There may be millions, billions, and in fact, an infinite number of
"alternate" universes stacked like so much Tupperware within our
own universe. In each of these other universes lives another you
leading a full and very real life, just like your own life.Some of
these other universes are very close to our own, and are almost
identical, except for minor differences. Others are further removed
and the differences increase as the distance from our own
increases.The concept is not a new one. In fact, the idea that
other invisible worlds exist in proximity to our own are nearly as
old as human beings. ?Other worlds? is one of the oldest and most
frequently used ideas in speculative literature and legend.
Examples might be ?Fairyland? and the ?astral plane.?While
spiritualists, shamans and mystics have been happily dealing with
the subject of alternate universes for centuries, modern science,
notably the field of physics, has embraced the idea of alternate
worlds in recent years.In the field of quantum mechanics, alternate
universe theory is generally referred to as the ?Many Worlds
Interpretation,? and it holds up mathematically.The theory was
first proposed 40 years ago in 1957 by the brilliant physicist Hugh
Everett III. He came up with the Many Worlds scenario to deal with
some of the more perplexing aspects of quantum mechanics.Everett
suggested that whenever numerous viable possibilities exist, the
world splits into many worlds or universes, one universe for each
different possibility.For example, if you get up this morning and
can?t decide if you want to have coffee or tea for breakfast, the
Many Worlds Interpretation says that for each choice that is made,
an entire universe is created to accommodate each choice.In one
universe you choose coffee. In another universe you choose tea. In
a third universe, you decide to have neither. In still another, you
go with orange juice.
Each universe is as real and valid as the other. It?s just that
each goes its separate way from the point of decision.According to
the astounding Many Worlds Interpretation, every single choice that
is made by every single human being at every instant of time
creates an entire universe which goes on forever into
infinity.Obviously, this means that millions and billions and
trillions of universes are being created on an ongoing basis!In
each universe created, everything is identical, except for that one
different choice; from that point on, they develop independently,
and no communication is possible between them, so the people living
in those worlds have no idea that this is going on.According to the
Many Worlds Interpretation, there are not only an infinite number
of universes, but an infinite number of versions of each
person?including you!Your alternate selves have all split off at
some time in the past from the path you are now following. There
may be versions of you that split off one or five years ago, or
perhaps five minutes after you were born.
In some universes, you may have died at birth.But in a very real
sense, those people are still "you." What if you could travel to
one of these alternate universes and meet yourself and have a
conversation with yourself? What would you say? What would it feel
like? It?s intriguing to think about.Polls have been taken among
theorists who study such things, and have revealed that most of
them believe that the Many Worlds Interpretation represents an
accurate description of reality. (Interestingly, the polls also
show that many of them would rather not discuss the
subject!)Political researcher L. David Raub conducted a poll of 72
of the "leading cosmologists and other quantum field theorists"
about the Many Worlds Interpretation and found the following:
1) 58% think it is true.
2) 18% do not think it is true.
3) 13% think it could be true but are not convinced.
4) 11% had no opinion.
