The Sun had risen on one side of the earth even as the moon was rising on the other side… Men and women were happily waking up even as their counterparts were preparing for bed… Children were being delivered among anxious moments, laughter filled the ears of the happy, peace filled the hearts of the wise and love blossomed to lighten the air… everything was just the way He had created… And yet… And yet a frown appeared on the Lord’s brow. Science felt the Father’s sigh, knelt by His side and quietly asked ‘What’s wrong Father?’  Like a movie being enacted the scenes unfolded – profound moments from the lap of time…

A traffic light with very few cars. Nothing special – just that the woman decided to skip the red light…

A ticket counter to fill government coffers. Nothing special – just that half of them skipped the pay…

A family reunion to relate and share. Nothing special – just that they spoke behind each other’s backs…

A man and woman smiling into each other’s eyes. Nothing special – just that they were mentally cheating on their spouse…

An exam hall with several hundred students. Nothing special – just that they were exchanging answers using sign language…

Oh it was a beautiful time on planet earth. No wars, no famine, no earthquakes, no riots, no disease, no plague… Why then would the Lord be unhappy with just this ‘normal’ behaviour of man?

Science: Father! I don’t understand what seems to be bothering you.

Now this was a serious problem. The Lord looked at Science. How could He explain the problem to His child?

God: My dear child! What does humanity know about atoms?

Science: (mentally) What is the connection? (Aloud) Quiet a bit Father. The atom is the fundamental building block of all stuff. Every single object is composed of atoms. An individual atom is very small. In fact, the smallest type of atom, hydrogen, has a diameter of 10^-8 cm. This means that if the hydrogen atom was the size of a soccer ball, then a soccer ball would be 6450 kilometres high.

God: So are atoms made of even smaller stuff?

Science: Yes my Lord. Atoms are mostly empty space, but in the centre of the atom is a structure called a nucleus. The nucleus is a congregation of particles. These particles are called protons and neutrons. Neutrons are neutral, or have no electrical charge. Protons carry a positive electrical charge. Swirling around the nucleus in what is called the “electron cloud” are the electrons. These electrons counteract the positive charges of the protons with their negative electrical charges.

God: Hmmm… And what are protons and neutrons made of?

Science: Nucleons (neutrons and protons) contain sub-nucleonic particles which are called quarks. There are six types of quarks: up, down, strange, charm, truth, and beauty. The scientists who discovered quarks got a little creative with their naming scheme.

God: (With a smile) So how large are these sub-atomic particles? That is how much of the atom do these protons, neutrons and electrons totally occupy?

Science: An atom is more than 99% empty space, and the protons and neutrons make up a very small amount of the volume of an atom. Additionally, the electrons are much smaller in proportion to the nucleons. The nucleons are actually about 1800 times the size of an electron.

God: So actually only 1% of the atom contains ‘matter’. The rest of it is empty space – right?

Science: Yes Father!

God: So would you say that the nucleus and electrons are actually insignificant to the atom? I mean after all they just use up 1% of the total volume of an atom!

Science: (Vehemently) Of course we cannot say that Father! Yes the protons, electrons and neutrons make up only 1% of the atom. But it is the significant portion – in fact the most significant portion. Without it nothing would exist!

God: Oh! So you mean to say that if that 1% was not there or for some reason was different then the atom would also be different?

Science: Yes my Lord. In fact humanity has discovered that for every “normal” particle of matter there is an opposite, anti-particle. There are anti-electrons, which are just like electrons but, instead of a negative charge, carry a positive charge. There are anti-protons and anti-neutrons, which are composed of anti-quarks that are just like real quarks, but have opposite properties. There are even anti-atoms which are composed of anti-neutrons, anti-protons, and anti-electrons.

God: Hmmm… So even if the 99% of the atom doesn’t change, if the 1% changes, the world would change for ever. Correct?

Science: Yes Father! Whenever anti-matter comes in contact with matter, both masses convert directly into energy in a violent explosion. The world will never be the same again.

God: Then why do you say that those scenes that flashed by have nothing wrong in them?

Once again the scenes flashed – A traffic light with very few cars – the woman decided to skip the red light… A ticket counter to fill government coffers – half of them skipped the pay… A family reunion to relate and share – they spoke behind each other’s backs… A man and woman smiling into each other’s eyes – they were mentally cheating on their spouse… An exam hall with several hundred students – they were exchanging answers using sign language…

God: Maybe everything else is right. Just that one attitude, one lie, one hypocrisy, one image trap – less than 1% of the man’s character… But my child Science! Just as the 1% of the atom is the most significant, that one quality of man determines his life. That 1% is the most significant in man too. Water boils at only 100 degrees. Anything less is not the boiling point of water. Just as an atom cannot exist without that 1%, and without atoms nothing in existence can really be, character in man depends on every 1% – a mere 99% is still just empty space.

Science understood the message of the Lord. Silence reigned for a brief moment. With a wave of His hand the entire Universe started spinning in front of Science. Was this the Vishwaroopa darshan described in the Bagavad Gita? God’s voice reverberated from beyond time

God: Show your children the scale model of the Universe! This planet Earth they call home is not even .00000000001% of the size of the Universe. And yet it is the most significant to mankind for that is were life as he knows exists. Tell him, my child, every 1% matters – it is pivotal to his life.

Written by Gita Krishna Raj  |  Published in infinithoughts in November 2009

When Science met God… |  Segment Seven: Formula to Life  | Chapter Two: The Significant 1%