"In 10 or 15 years we will know pretty much for sure whether the universe will expand forever, collapse back on itself or just drift." � CHARLES LAWRENCE, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Will we? I wonder...

Unless you're one of those obsessive cosmologists, the fate of the universe probably matters little to you. But if you believe in an eternal afterlife of any kind (relating to a religion or not), then you may wonder what will happen to our souls (or whatever term you prefer) if the universe collapses.

I wonder...uselessly.

It seems to be the general consensus that one of three events will occur:

�The Big Chill - without enough dark matter to bind the universe together through gravitation, it could continue expanding forever

�The Big Crunch - the universe may eventually stop expanding and collapse upon itself

�The Big Balance - the expansion of the universe could coast to a halt and reach equilibrium

I wish I knew and understood all the physics involved. I wish I could see it, clearly see it.

Back to our afterlives - Let's assume that when we die we move on to another state of intelligent being. I don't remember having heard or read anything about souls dying, so let's assume it will be a permanent state. (Sounds like we have to die to become immortal! Immortalized by death. Rather oxymoronic, isn't it?) If souls exist on a different plane, is that plane a part of the universe? Would the collapse of the universe, destroying all life, destroy that plane of souls as well? Or would that plane be outside of the known universe, the physical universe?

What if the existence of souls is dependent upon living minds? No, I'm not saying it's "all in our heads", as the expression goes. I mean, what if that plane of souls is created by our minds, and souls could die when they are finally and totally forgotten by all minds? As in, each living mind supplies a little power to the whole plane.

There is most likely a word (or symbol) for "immortal" and "eternal" in every language that has ever been. What do we really know of such things? Very little. And if I don't stop here, I'm going to blow a gasket in my brain.

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Moondust will cover you...cover you. This chaos is killing me! --David Bowie, 1. Outside "Hallo Spaceboy" (1995)