Humans, Spacetime, and the Impossible

A long time ago, I met a friend who also had a hearing impairment. He was hesitating about a romantic relationship, fearing that his unfluent spoken conversation would be a massive obstacle for their future together.

I heard a teacher advise him, saying that since his hearing impairment had such a profound impact on him, he should figure out a way to change it! Unexpectedly, he replied with complete seriousness that it was impossible; it could not be changed.

With his background in physics, he began to analyze the situation methodically. First, his auditory nerves had been damaged since childhood, placing him a step behind others in language learning. The neural circuits had already formed, making this aspect naturally inferior to others.

Second, although modern hearing aids offer significant assistance, they still have their limits. The teacher encouraged him to use his expertise in physics to create a better hearing aid.

He bluntly replied that it was impossible. First, hearing aid technology is controlled abroad, and Taiwan simply lacks the core technology domestically. Second, while his field of study was related, it was mostly confined to theory. He hadn't even touched the practical technology. Therefore, he told the teacher very directly that he was going to give up on this relationship.

His words made a lot of sense, and honestly, I could not refute them. But perhaps because I am too optimistic, I always find it hard to accept such passive thoughts.

To say that "as long as one works hard, there is nothing a person cannot achieve" sounds like something only an overly optimistic person would say.

In reality, limitations are everywhere. No one can be certain of dedicating their best effort to accomplish everything they want in their lifetime. The knowledge that has been created is infinite; this world is so resplendent, and the universe is so vast and boundless. In contrast, humans are so insignificant, constrained by the years of time, bound by the realities of daily life, and sometimes lost and bewildered. Facing the powerlessness of everything before us, what right does anyone have to make such a claim?

Yet, I am very fond of this phrase. From another perspective, the main reason humans are constrained is actually that a human life is too fleeting, yet there are far too many things we wish to do.

We want to do things but don't know where to start; we want to complete things but fear it might just be a waste of time. People always hope that the things they truly commit to will ultimately yield satisfying results, and they often despondently give up on tasks that seem hopeless. But what if humans had infinite time?

This concept of time does not necessarily mean giving individuals infinite lifespans, like an idiot's daydream. It could be a continuous legacy, generation after generation of humanity, or even a future in another distant spacetime that we cannot see.