The Nature of Phi
The UCC waited a long time to encounter the first fragile signs of life. It was the beginning of an entirely new chapter in universal development.
Since then, countless planets have been blessed with life, and divergence has produced distinct groups – bacteria, plants, algae, mosses, fungi, each with a myriad of subspecies. Some are static, some active; some passive, others hostile. Yet all share the same fundamental purpose: survival and adaptation.
The UCC has been pleased with its achievements, though it remains disappointed that despite the abundance and diversity of life, there is still no indication of sentient intelligence – no spark of conscious awareness or intelligent contemplation. Every action remains driven by the primary instincts.
The UCC has wondered why even though different forms of life vary enormously, the basic requirement has remained uncompromisingly consistent: a carbon-based, moderately sized planet, precisely positioned within a stable star system; a substantial atmosphere, abundant resources, geological activity, and large areas of water. On the few occasions when the UCC has attempted to develop non-carbon-based life, it invariably failed.
There have been other anomalies, too. Evolution has occasionally digressed in unexpected directions, neither instigated nor controlled by the UCC.
It has caused the UCC to suspect that although it has contributed greatly, the emergence of life has not been entirely its own achievement – that it would have happened anyway. It has now discovered something that confirms those suspicions.
From the very beginning, a force the UCC has yet to identify has been applying a strict code of development, dictating the structure and geometric design of the entire universe, possibly even the UCC itself.
That code is based upon a very special ratio – one whose strength lies in its simplicity. The UCC considers it to be a Golden Ratio and has named it Phi. The force that drives its application, where it exists, or how it applies its influence, remains an enigma, but the UCC has named it the Nature of Phi.
The Golden Ratio is 1:1.6180339887… It is a paradox – as an irrational number, the Nature of Phi may use it as a guide but perfection will never be fully realised in the physical realm.
Powerful as it may be, the Nature of Phi has at least one limitation. It rigorously controls evolution, but it cannot directly undertake the process of creation. For that, it requires the UCC. Once that creative work is complete, however, the Nature of Phi takes control of the refinement.
The discovery has answered many of the UCC’s questions. The Golden Ratio is a measure of success it can understand; that gives clarity to why some organisms continue to evolve when others stall. Evolution isn’t about reaching a pinnacle; it is about finding harmony – maximising an organism’s ability to function within its environment. This explains why, during development, organisms both advance and regress. The ratio fluctuates until it draws close to the elusive Phi and those fluctuations become unnoticeable. From there, only a distinct environmental change will set the evolutionary process back in motion until a new equilibrium is established.
The UCC’s new understanding will help, though not entirely eliminate, its frustration when the Nature of Phi halts the evolutionary progress of a species the UCC believes has greater potential. But now it knows why it happens, and must accept there is nothing it can do. It seems the Nature of Phi will remain an undefiable law unto itself – unyielding, silent, and ever-present.
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