We are talking about the shape of the universe, so let's waste no time in bringing God into the discussion. I hesitate however, because God is a matter of faith and nothing I say should deepen or lessen anyone's faith. For those for whom God is fact, and not just a belief, let me say that he gave us free will, and this includes the ability of each of us to believe, or not to believe. If knowing him was somehow compulsory, then we would not be human. So one person may know God, and another may not, and neither can say the other is wrong.
The method I use to show the shape of the earth to a flat-earther, or the shape of the universe to an "infinite universer", can also be used to illustrate how God is there for those who want to find him. But I don't want to trivialise something so meaningful to many people, and will leave this for the moment as an exercise for the student . . . Meanwhile God may or may not guide me as I exercise my free will to write these random jottings.
Going back again to my teens, a very good friend told me something very profound. I don't know if it was original or whether he got it from Mr Tomkins in Wonderland (ISBN 0-521-44771-2) but it goes as follows "Through us, humankind, the universe is aware of itself". It is our awareness, as compared to being alive or being conscious, that sets us apart from all other life on earth, and is the foundation of our curiosity, the development of our skills and talents, and our independent thought.
Another "so what" moment. Well, I've sidestepped religion, I've avoided emotions, I am a layman and am not going to get into complex dimensions or string theory etc. However complex the laws of physics, I think the basics have to be quite simple, and I reckon that awareness is a good starting point to move off from, as it is the connection or interface between the universe and our (and therefore its) understanding of it.
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