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Sunday, April 30, 2017

Z is for ZERO


“What is a zero anyway?

 A zero signifies nothing, 
all it does is tell you nothing about nothing. 

Still, isn't zero also something meaningful,
 a number in and of itself? 

In jianpu notation,
 zero indicates a caesura, 
a pause or rest of indeterminate length.

 Does time that goes uncounted, unrecorded, still qualify as time? 

If zero is both everything and nothing, 
Does an empty life have exactly 
the same weight 
 as a full life? 

Is zero like the desert, 
both finite and infinite?”
- Madeleine Thien


Why Do We Make A Nothing Of Zero?


The Importance of Being Zero


Zero is an odd beast.
 
Without it, we would not have the binary code that makes our computer age possible.

Yet, it took until the 7th century for it to be recognized as a number in its own right, 

when the ancient Indians developed a numerical system that expressed zero with its own symbol. 


Since the development of this number system, which we still use today, 

zero has been instrumental in our exploration of mathematics.   

 The invention of zero represents an extremely important step 

in humankind's intellectual evolution ...

For if Nothing can come to mean Something so important,

Does that not imply that while we might feel worthless, 

we might essentially be Something beyond value if we but look at ourselves in the right light?

What Do You Think?

6 comments:

  1. Hi Roland - zero is an interesting number and a succinct write up here ... I'll be back to watch the video - as this is the kind of thing I enjoy watching when my brain is in gear!

    Well done on getting to Z and what a great finish ... cheers Hilary

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/z-is-for-zebra-zoo-and-zedland.html

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    1. Congratulations on finishing, too. I spent all night driving in wild winds and blinding rains. I'm too pooped to even think straight!

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  2. Does that not imply that while we might feel worthless, we might essentially be Something beyond value if we but look at ourselves in the right light? Most certainly, yes, IMO. It all depends on how we judge value. Each year, I care less what others think and try to live with honour, caring and learning, three things important to me.

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  3. I'm with Hudson. If we spent more time caring for others and learning, we creatures would be so much happier and productive. Embrace that zero and the place it holds in our world.

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    1. I think of the human race as a stone arch bridge, each of us supporting the other with our positive presence. :-)

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