The number 1. It seems so simple, so basic, so mundane, we use it every day to begin counting thousands of things useful or otherwise in life. Obviously, we don’t go anywhere is we don’t start counting with 1, but it’s just a number, so who cares?
I do! When I learned that beneath its humble appearance lies a majesty that has fascinated mathematicians, philosophers and theologians for centuries, I had to know more. Exploring its possibilities even led me to its unique position in the fabric of the Universe. I have long believed that “the fabric of existence weaves itself whole,” within which thought lie so many connections we cannot fathom their extent. Yet the word “whole” itself means one. Clearly the major connection is with Creation itself!
So here we go…let’s explore mathematics first, beginning with an interesting statement: Without 1, our entire system of arithmetic would crumble. Wow! Everything? That’s a big statement to make. Needs clarification:
-It is both a prime and a composite number. Not a contradiction. It has exactly two divisors, 1 and itself. It’s also composite because it can be obtained by multiplying by itself.
-It is also both a square and a cube: 1x1 = 1 and 1x1x1 = 1.
-It’s the only natural number that is equal to its own factorial. 1! = 1.
Hmmm….”factorial” ... I tried to figure out why 0 x 0 equals = 1. My only thought … there’s only one 0, so times its 1 self, it reveals something deeper about its personality. It refuses to remain silent when they call it “empty.” Anyone knows (or should) that what is empty, God fills with Himself, in other words, the ONE. (spoken as philosopher, not mathematician)
If the math of 1 sounds too “logical”, you’re missing the point. Do math with any other number (there are billions) and not “one” of them can say the same about itself. It’s all about the depth hidden within the simple 1! And that, my friends, is relevant to both the philosophical and the spiritual, most important elements in the Universe. Make the connection between its important universal presence, and our very own, and you’re beginning to understand the ONE of which I have written.
I stop here for “one” reason. There’s more to learn by investigating, but I invite anyone reading this to not go there. Rather go within, and find the philosophical and theological significance of 1 that is the key to who we are, where we are going, and why we were born. Are these not questions that humanity has sought to answer for eons? The Earth is facing a turning point in history, one that has never before occurred, and has never before been fully understood – REALITY! …the origin of existence and the inter-connectedness of all that exists “as above, so below.” Make the connection and discover how without the ONE, the entire reason for Creation would crumble!
