Infinity and Time

(Part 1: Infinity and Space)

I believe that there are only two limiting factors to human achievement. Will and time. What I like about the concept of infinite time is that it removes the second limiting factor. On an infinite timescale, you are only limited by your own patience.

One of my favorite implications when granted an infinite time period is that the improbable becomes certain. In other words, if it is possible to happen, than it is guaranteed to happen eventually. I still have trouble wrapping my brain around the concept.

One of the most rare events I can think of is for the atoms in my body to precisely line up with the atoms of a brick wall, so that if I ran as fast as I could head-first into the wall, I would pass through without ever touching the wall. If you give infinite time (and a body that can withstand running into a brickwall infinite times), I will eventually pass through the wall...


What is infinite time? Try this thought experiment. Imagine the longest amount of time you can. The age of the universe is less than 10 billion years. Imagine that raised to the 10 billionth power. It is difficult to even imagine such an impossibly long time. Now consider this: to inifinite time, the period you just described is not even a blip on the radar. On an infinite timeline, the period you just imagined can fit between 0 and 1. Doesn't that just blow your mind?


The concept of time itself is meaningless to infinity. As I mentioned before, time stops for you at the speed of light. In other words, light sees itself as everywhere at once. But since light can never move slower than the speed of light, does that mean light moves in infinite time? Or just infinite time relative to itself? Because we know it takes 8 minutes for sunlight to reach the Earth, not infinity.

I don't know, I'm starting to confuse myself. (so I can't even imagine how mixed up the reader is!) That must mean it's time to stop rambling about things I know nothing about and go to sleep....