by Nick Quaglietta, 2013

“Everything in life is vibration.” ~ Albert Einstein

A few summers ago, media outlets all over the world were captivated by some very exciting news about a scientific discovery. The physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced that they had observed a boson (a type of subatomic particle), which was believed to be consistent with a prediction made by Peter Higgs, et al., nearly five decades earlier. Their observation of the Higgs boson was subsequently verified and Professor Higgs was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013. So, why was this discovery so important to the world and, perhaps, for our entire universe? Well, it’s because the observation of a Higgs boson helped to confirm the existence of the Higgs Field and to further our understanding of the origin of particle mass. Here’s how: Unlike other quantum fields, the Higgs Field is not concentrated in some places more than others, which means it has a non-zero value everywhere (i.e., no empty spaces). Consequently, other elementary particles unavoidably interact with the Higgs Field all the time. The result is that the velocity of those other, otherwise massless, particles is reduced to less than the speed of light, thereby causing them to effectively obtain mass. The Higgs Field, therefore, is essentially responsible for making Newton’s law of universal gravitation relevant. For, without mass, Newton’s law would have nothing to govern and the concept of tidal forces would be meaningless.

The Higgs boson had previously been nicknamed The God Particle by the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon M. Lederman in his 1993 book The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What is the Question? Dr. Lederman said he chose the nickname because “this boson is so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive.” He went on to say that the particle also had “a connection, of sorts, to another book, a much older one.” Dr. Lederman’s allusion to the genesis of the Universe having had a basis in particle physics was subsequently reaffirmed by others, including Stephen Hawking. In his 2010 book The Grand Design, Professor Hawking concluded that God was not necessary “because there is a law such as gravity, [therefore] the Universe can and will create itself from nothing.” By relating Hawking’s statement to the discovery at CERN, one could also argue that, because the Higgs Field is real, you don’t necessarily need God to create matter either. Hence, the Higgs boson could truly be considered the God Particle.

As further progress has been made in theoretical physics, more people have become comfortable with the idea that the Universe was created spontaneously. Some of the arguments made in string theory have also provided additional reassurance because they do not necessarily require a universe to be created out of nothing. However, when considering the basis for our place in the Universe, it seems that there is still something missing. I’m not referring to the other scientific discoveries that have yet to be made, such as explaining exactly how the Higgs Field does what it does. In fact, I have no doubt that the world’s most prominent experimentalists and theorists will eventually lead us to a more thorough understanding about why we’re all here. Rather, I am referring to something that I believe is equally important, which is explaining how our universe and our lives have meaning. In order to do this, we may also need to consider another theory, the mechanism for which requires the existence of the Love Particle (a.k.a. the Alfie boson).

I realize that this new theory will likely be met with some skepticism. Particularly from those who are familiar with Stephen Hawking’s opinion about the meaning of life. Professor Hawking believed that humans are extremely complex biological machines that are governed by the Laws of Nature. He said that part of this complex machinery is the human brain, which creates and sustains our minds via the interactions of billions of neurons. Our minds are then responsible for creating a best fit model to interpret what we perceive in our environment, and that this best fit model is what we refer to as reality. Ultimately, the meaning of life is but one component of the reality that each of our brains is responsible for creating. So, when attempting to understand consciousness and the meaning of life we are, again, confronted with the Laws of Nature. This does makes sense in the same way as does the origin of the Universe, until you take into account the issue of free will. Professor Hawking, in his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, wrote, “If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God.” What he meant by a “complete theory” is the eventual discovery of the Theory of Everything, which was further popularized in the 2014 film about his life. Discovering a theory of everything would allow us to, perhaps, understand the behavior of galaxies on a quantum level and vice versa. Such as theory would then allow us to understand how everything in our universe works. It also may allow us to predict virtually anything, including when and how this essay would be written. If so, then one could argue that the concept of free will would no longer be relevant. However, even Professor Hawking agreed that free will exists and that it is inherently unpredictable. If this is true, then how can a universe, which could be comprehensively predicted by a theory of everything, also include free will? This paradox, it seems, is where the proposed relationship between the Laws of Nature and the meaning of life begins to break down.

In order to account for this discrepancy, I am proposing another model, which relies upon the Love Particle mechanism in order to achieve a best fit. This is because love, as we know, is inherently unpredictable and imprecise. To appreciate this phenomenon, all you need do is to bring any two suitable subjects together and allow them to simultaneously, and unavoidably, interact with the Love Feeling. The result is that the velocity of their lives is reduced (think of West Side Story when Tony and Maria first meet at the dance) and the magnitude of their world thus increases, although the outcome is never exactly the same. Therefore, the model that predicts the existence of the Love Particle must necessarily transcend the limits imposed by The Laws of Nature in order for our reality to become relevant. Even if we accept the concept that God was not necessary to create our universe, we can still believe that it is love which brings meaning to our lives. Countless philosophers, authors, and artists have expressed this sentiment over the centuries of human civilization. In Plato’s Symposium, Socrates argued that love motivates us to continually strive to achieve something beyond and above ourselves. He also said that “human nature can find no better helper than love.“ Thomas Merton wrote, “Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.” The lyrics to one of my favorite songs of all time, Alfie, written in 1965 by Hal David, include the lines “I know there's something much more, something even non-believers can believe in,“ and “without true love we just exist” (by the way, I find it interesting that these lyrics were written less than a year after Professor Higgs published his theory).

Apparently it is love that gives us the sense there is something out there greater than ourselves, in which we can believe. To find proof of this, I need not look any further than into the eyes belonging to the person who is now, and shall always be, the most important to me in my life. What I see there is all the reason I will ever need to know that my life has meaning and that I am where I belong. Without her I would continue to exist, but I could never be completely certain as to why. It is, therefore, the Love Particle Model that will ultimately be responsible for unifying the Theory of Everything with the meaning of life and for motivating us to want to understand the Universe more thoroughly. It is doubtful that the Alfie boson will ever be detected in the Large Hadron Collider; although I suppose machines need love too. Nevertheless, its effects can be perceived every day as we observe the world around us and appreciate love as the most elegant element in the human condition.

I love; therefore, I am.


Quaglietta, Nick. "The Love Particle." Mensa Bulletin, 562, Feb. 2013, pp. 18-21.