OK, then. To start, shove together all the chemicals You can get and heat them as hot as You can get them while You cram them down to zero volume.

Good. Now let go. Your singularity expands automatically, and matter condenses inside as it cools. See? The combinings of new quarks and stuff are so quick You're already creating serious mobs of electrons and protons. Those two sure pair off fast, don't they? You'rc on your way, Son.

Yes, it is. A four dimensional glob of pure hydrogen expanding in the middle of nowhere, with no idea at all of what's happening. That's how You start.

Watch. It begins all random like that, but places with a little extra stuff briefly pull more gravity than the rest. Result? Swirls, soon maybe. I don't see anything yet, but with the first whisper of stability, patterned flow automatically starts competing with chaos. Organized stuff wants to happen.

No, You're right, maybe, but I'm sure not wrong. Yeah, everything DOES want to fall apart, true. So creation does violate entropy in one sense. But that's what creation MEANS for Chrissake, if you'll excuse the expression.

Look at creation as the OTHER SIDE of entropy. Ordering and dissolution have to come out even. The matter being created here automatically has an inherent yearning for order, meaning, for Us, in pracical terms, complex order, but meanwhile dissolution is going on and will finally overtake any order. Far out. The overall process HAS to work OK backwards, and come out EVEN everywhere it has endings. I built all that in.

Um. Well, let's just say entropy is in there for a lot of reasons, one being so we can get humans.

No, this is about symmetry.

Look at it this way, Jesus. We're watching a fluid clotting, right? But that doesn't tell Us which way time's arrow is actually pointing inside that thing. From our our point of view, stuff is getting older, not younger, but there's nothing in that little space-time yet that has any sentience, right? So with no point of view inside, everything inside stays arbitrary.

Meanwhile, on the other side of time, this same stuff is clots melting down, and everything makes the same sense as this side, only backwards, right? So get real. It doesn't matter. I mean. sure, YOU and I can get anywhere anywhen from anywhen anywhere, but space-times each have to keep their own balance, so entropy just comes along as an automatic part of creation, see? Symmetry. It's basic. Otherwise, you'd have nothing for time to do.

Absolutely. Of COURSE We could get to humans starting at either end, but You said create, so that's where We DID start. We COULD have started ANYWHERE. Don't argue physics with your Old Man, Kid. I invented it and I'm telling You what matter wants to do.

Exactly. Cooperate with the inevitable.

Your space-time there is doing good. Some neighborhoods almost empty, others getting crowded. Getting more varied.

Gravity will soon collapse those dense places into blobs of incandescent hydrogen. The cookup welds the hydrogen into heavier atoms. You need these furnaces to create Your carbon, metals, oxygen, all the elements. Give 'em a few billion years so You get plenty of heavy stuff made up and passed around.

Good. You need overlapping upgrade cycles, too, though. Heavy stuff left by leaking or exploding or dying stars should cycle back into other, maybe newer, stars to get recooked and make itself into even heavier atoms, and so on. When You start getting stuff coming out of Your stars and decaying right away, that means it's too heavy to be stable. Good. You're there. You have all the varieties of stable atoms You're likely to get. They're all exchanging forces with each other and join into whatever they do, the various ions, molecules, crystals, hunks, gasses, liquids, stars, planets, moons, asteroids, dust clouds, rings, other cells, any collection of atoms is a potential habitat, and You'll have a good variety of ambient conditions. Perfect. Just what You want.

Well, sure, atoms are still Your basic building blocks. But all of them are too stark to actually adapt, right? So basically You've got to start with atom combos, like molecules. Now, maybe some of of Your new atoms out there will find a time and place and circumstance to combine with each other in ways that make a molecule that can replicate itself, maybe not. Either way, let this time-space, or do I mean space-time? Let's just call it your new Universe, continue to expand and cool. Ir will last a long time, so if You don't get self replication right away, don't worry. You have plenty of time, plenty of space. Don't try to rush things.

Sure, it usually takes anything quite a while to adapt, because they mostly have to do it by trial and error. Natural selection, stuff like that. They can't really THINK about it, most of them. A lot of times they don't make it. And, of course, even if they do, they're never really done. Allow plenty billion years along here. Your overall temperatures will go on dropping, but no problem. There's a lot happening. You hope.

No, You're doing fine. I guess I just mean You need to be patient. Pretty soon, water will liquify out on some moon or wherever. If it's convenient, hold those spots on fairly hot for a while after condensation. Later, You might want to freeze out a lot of that moisture, but first give Your dissolved atoms, ions and molecules plenty of time to socialize in hot water, and maybe arrange some good hard radiation coming in now and then, just to keep the party loose.

Yeah. But new bands of incoming energy, new types of incoming matter, even a good jostling, any kind of change, helps foster molecular complexity.

Sure. If You don't overdo it.

Be patient. Sooner or later, assuming You keep conditions about right, You'll get some molecule replicating itself somewhere in this Universe and if so, the resulting stable compound might join forces with others in various arrays and somehow they might fumble up some kind of a cell. This is a critical step toward humanity, but You can't be sure if, where, or when it will happen. We may have to do some waiting, but there are a lot of stars and planets in there.

Possible combinations? I don't know the number offhand, but it's enormous.

OR We might get lucky. If one little dot of stuff on that one little planet way over there, say, actually starts producing replicating cells, habitat extension and species proliferation will follow. Almost guaranteed. Immediately. But first it has to...

Whoa, there they go! Look. I thought that one might be ready. See 'em spread? Self replication all over the place. You couldn't really call that thing a cell. Plenty of proliferation, though. Good base. Just watch. Nice planet.

See there? Mutating already, around that smaller island. Yep, there's Your first fixed colony! A few more million centuries, You'll see real cells, multi-celled, micro and macro, all intertwined, living together and happily eating sunshine and each other, species appearing and leaving as circumstances continue to change. Exactly what You need. So...

Oops. You'll get those now and then, don't worry about it.

I know, it looks like You've lost a lot of ground when You see a hit like that, but Your planet will resonate a while, absorb the heat and dust and damage, then complexity will be right back. This event, like any event, has various aspects. It is not necessarily a step backward. Think of it as part of the process, a culling, not a bunch of unfortunate extinctions, and You'll feel better. And watch how fast new and different complexity returns. A few million years!

Well, if not, like I said, there will be plenty of other planets.

I know, stable compounds, no problem, but where are the cells? Stay balanced in this range where water is liquid. Seems a little forced, I know, but that's the slot that's most likely to deliver again. We need a multicellular thing that can split.

Quite a scenario, Son, when you think about it. We create the setting and stuff, see what happens, then make changes if we need to, according to whatever Our interests happen to be right then. Kind of like the beings We create do.We, too, keep adapting, if you wanted to look at it that way.

There they are.

There. Both of those kinds are finally splitting. You wonder what'll happen if their kids meet. Probably nothing.

Sure, let the skin float. Drifting Your continents keeps the local climates changing, stresses the local organisms, encourages adaption.

Yep. Good. About time. All it took from Us was the wait.

And, You're getting good multi-cell diversity now, real good complexity, sentience is happening in a lot of the new strains.Those giant reptiles are spreading out right along with the normal size and tiny ones. That's odd. Could mean potential for something. You should...

Ouch. Well, a few hundred thousand years for that little tap, another rebound, hypercomplexity will be right back. No problem.

Here they come again. Not THAT different, are they?. Birds are a neat adaption by the little runner reptiles. Mammals are back, too, all grown up now. And spreading. They're browsers and predators both. All over the land, some back in the water, lots underground, even a few trying flying! Keep an eye on those mammals.

Sure. You want a smart, sexual, sentient being, adaptable, maybe one or two hundred pounds is about optimum. A couple hundred is Your practical maximum at this planet's gravity. Any bigger stuff won't be dextrous enough, and anything under about a hundred won't be as strong, has to sleep more, head's usually smaller. and so on. You want as big as you can get and still have 'em moving around real easy in different habitats. Adaptability at all levels, is Your target. No hurry, just watch for it.

Like look over there. You been noticing the action in Your equatorial jungles? Living in trees is toughening up some of those mammal primates. Acrobats now. Well muscled, sensible bone structure, fair intelligence, sentient, like all the mammnals. They're super dextrous and about the right size. Not great runners, but see what they do if their trees all die. Give that bunch a few extra problems to work on.

I thought so, I thought so. Look. Haven't dropped too many strains and some of 'em gained a ton. That one strain is a WHOLE LOT smarter now. See? Those ones that lost part of their coat? Mostly breeding in lean-tos and caves, but some went pure nomadic. Use fire now, planting stuff, taming other animals, clubs and hammers everywhere, wheels too, grunts becoming language, lots of them worshipping at least SOME aspect of the All. All right!

Looks to me like You've made human beings, right here on the short track. They look OK to me. Congratulations. Wasn't that hard, was it? Look at them spread! Wow. Probably take over the whole planet real quick. Satisfied? Of course, it isn't always that easy.

Well, no, they don't have a lot of culture yet, but, believe Me, they're plenty complex for all that stuff. They ARE human, guaranteed. You can be proud of that, regardless of how they work out.

Yeah. That big jump in intellligence plus broader sentience is why. It does feel nice, the little glow, call it, from their appreciative awe at being alive. They were probably worth the creating, ought to be able to survive a while out here. It's hard now to imagine them going beyond that, but who knows? It's a start. Be nice to have it work out. Could. Sexual, dextrous AND athletic, smart, omnivorous, social, seem adaptable to a variety of habitats, and, already have some spiritual feelings. Lots of advantages.

Of course, they also carry those genetics with a built-in fear of anything they don't understand, powerful tribal bonds, and a bunch of other reflexes that might turn out pretty dysfunctional when they get civilized. Well, all part of the game. They'll just have to do some more adapting. Always will, as long as THIS Universe lasts, which will probably be a lot longer than they do. At least, they soon will be able to shortcut that whole gene business, and that should help. Saves a lot of adaption time when it works.

No, don't worry about that, Jesus, their culture will happen automatically, with that intelligence. Then technology won't take long either, but first they've got to invent some complex languages with written symbols and build some decent tools for exploring their reality, which they certainly will. When they start understanding a little physics, you might begin to see where they're headed. We done here?

You want to WHAT?

No. Not a good time to...OK, OK. Stop. You say You can't know what it's like to be a human without BEING one? This is crazy, because You can easil...

Oh, no.

All right, Impetuous One. So how does it feel to act out a stupid brainstorm like that? Tell me, Sir, exactly how did that wonderful experience change You?

If course they did! You knew they would! While I watched I cheered!

You knew full well that humans are tough fighters who carry a fear of strangers born right into their blood. And You're down there preaching "Turn the other cheek..." and "Love thy neighbor...". It's a good thing they thought neighbor meant the guy next door, because if they knew You meant to include strangers, they would have set fire to You too!

Yes. That's exactly what I mean.

I have some bad news for You, Jesus. You can't just walk in on people and announce the truth. THEY HAVE TO DISCOVER IT THEMSELVES OR THEY DON'T BELIEVE IT.

You CANNOT shortcut reality that way.

Humans are exactly like all other beings. Beings discover their truth by inheritance and by experience, not by listening to preachers. Think about it. Their own experience always trumps any words of any kind, regardless. Hell, You knew that, or why would you try to use MIRACLES as validators?

Yeah. Never mind. I knew your intentions. It's OK. That's how We learn.

No problem. You just have to go on from here.

I agree. The truth SHOULD be easy for humans to see, since they are continously EXPERIENCING it. They are actually making the choices, there's no way around that, but you can't FORCE them to see it. It's hard, I guess, harder for humans than other animals because it becomes so personally demanding when you get that intelligent. I mean, why should a person WANT to be in charge of their own destiny? What's the advantage? It's more comfortable to believe somebody else is responsible. Pass the buck, stay in denial, I don't know. It seems so simple to me. Microbe, person, species, regardless of where or what or when you are, to the degree you have sentience, you are required to choose your own destiny in this particular Universe.

Yeah, I suppose. So change it. You GET to choose your own destiny in this Universe. That's just as true.

Yeah, but WHY does stupid PHRASING matter? Why don't they just look at life as a privilege instead of a burden? As a gift they have been granted, be thankful for the present instead of always worried about the future? Be really joyous more often?

Well, humans LIKE reverent, appreciative, joy when they do do it, so how come they don't do it more? Sure, a few are at it almost continuously, but most humans don't seem really very appreciative of their creation, do they?

True. You just finished demonstrating THAT problem. No matter how you phrase it, the truth needs a setting it can live in to survive. Like everything else in the Universe. The circle again. Always comes back to that.

Really. But, check out what they've done so far with Your little message. It's like I've been telling you, Jesus, patience is the key. Give Your humans time to learn life BEFORE You expect them to understand it.

Look. Increased sentience or intelligence ALWAYS needs time to adapt to itself. It's a change. New knowledge has to be validated, tested by experience, before it gets woven into the reflexes. Fair enough. Let them try a lot of different things, find out what works, what doesn't work for them. They easily have enough intelligence to see reality as it is. Now let's find out if they can continue to transcend their origins. Give them some TIME for the next steps. Everybody is always in such a hurry.

Sure, if they do reach stability for a while on this planet, they'll have a deep enough understanding of reality that You can try them elsewhere. Otherwise, don't let them spread any further. No matter what. Hope isn't enough. You must wait and see if they create a stable setting here. If they make it, they can go on. Not otherwise.

Well, sure, it would be nice to think they'll wake up some afternoon and notice how complicated the act of being is, and that they are the only sentient AND intelligent beings in their Universe, and from that maybe even draw some conclusions about their individual and collecive alternatives, now that they exist. They might. Not likely, though. They'd have to overcome those ingrown fears first, start liking each other better, cooperate instead of competing, just like you said. Tough for them to do, maybe, but they have to do it if they want a consensus on what their own destiny should be. Let alone attain it.

Sure, if You want to, but You won't need me for that. You've created humans now and I've had enough.This whole talking thing is really bothering me. And who figured out the dumb notion that you can personify the All? Us, playing a Father and Son? HUMANS as Gods? So how can a Holy Ghost sit at such a table? Come on. This whole situation we're in here is totally ridiculous.

Yeah, I know. Some old fart in the twenty-first century writes a story with this stupid dialogue, so here we are actually saying it out loud. I resent that. He creates ME? But I know YOU created HIM. So who has seniority here? Three guesses, and they all work out the same, which is what's happening happens. Words are stupid nonsense!

I don't know, just having to USE a language. How can humans even THINK straight with symbols? Let alone COMMUNICATE.

For instance, we've covered some big topics here, and they all sound mundane because they are in stupid WORDS, not real experience. Pathetic. We should both forget this whole business.

Well, sure, but look at it like this. You felt you had to experience being a human to understand them better. You did that. It changed nothing, for you or for them. So get off it. Don't worry about it. You haven't ruined anything, you haven't left anything undone. You wanted to help, Son.

OK, so hang or split. Suit Yourself. I'm dropping this stupid toga, merging back into the All. Good luck with the humans. Bye.

Sure, you're right about all that, but wait for THEM to see it. Maybe they finally will, maybe they finally won't. You can't help. They choose. They have to work out their own destiny. You know that. Lay off 'em. That's an order.

See ya.

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