• 
• 

A physics scholar once gave me a very interesting theory: love is all around, even in the world of hard stuff like physics.

She was clever enough to explain physics to laymen using the concept of love. Her theory is that physics is the world of particles. You can't see them with your eyes but you know of their existence. Yes, indeed, it is a lot like love. We don't know if others love us, but if they do, the feeling is supposed to be all around us.

On Wednesday, when Thais were still in the middle of nowhere in terms of politics, there was a monumental experiment at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). Protons were released into the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a gigantic scientific instrument that spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100 metres underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles.

CERN hopes that knowledge from particle physics goes on to describe the workings of the universe. For decades, we have known the fundamental laws of nature, but they do not tell the whole story. Only experimental data using the higher energy reached by the LHC can push knowledge forward.

The experiment took place a day before the 9/11 anniversary yesterday, when the entire world recalled the act of terrorism that killed thousands of people. What the tragedy told us is that humans can be very cruel, taking the lives of innocent people only for their own cause.

In a way, the labour union of the State Railway of Thailand also did the same thing, even though the degree of inhumanity is incomparable, with the work stoppage that halted train services, mostly to the South. Though they were not killed mercilessly like those in the World Trade Centre, commuters in general and businesses that depend on train services for goods transportation were held as hostages.

Thai citizens have also become casualties of war, as politicians have not yet come to their senses about what would be the best way forward for Thailand.

Elsewhere in the world, violence is more than common.

CERN is going to launch a bigger experiment in the next two weeks, when some fear that the LHC could lead to the creation of a black hole with enough power to suck the entire world to oblivion. CERN rejects this theory. It would be nice if the machine does the opposite: instead of creating a black hole, it spreads particles of love around the world and makes people think more of others.

It's a dream, but I do know that if it comes true, physics would be a very interesting science to laymen.