i

At one point or another, high school mathematics eventually exposes us to the nebulous constant known as i. For many math students i is often the numerical equivalent of Schrodinger's cat or relativity; it is a concept that is easy to know but quite difficult to fully understand. How can a cat be both alive and dead? How is it possible to travel back in time? With i we are presented the conundrum of finding the square root of a negative number. That is to say, for the mathematically inept, what number when multiplied against itself will produce a negative number. In short, there are none. A positive upon itself yields a positive, as does a negative. This at one point imposed a frustrating impasse for mathematicians, as many advanced formulas incorporate negative square roots. The solution? An imaginary number, one that by definition does not exist, to hold the place of this defiant expression. As long as one can cancel the two i's out, there is no harm nor foul to an equation, and a real number can be achieved. Truly, i is a useful tool for man to understand and overcome the impossible.

We have not restricted the use of such tools solely to the numbers that construct our physical sciences. In fact, they are all around us. One, however, stands above the rest. It is universally accepted by many to fill an impossible void, all the while never truly existing. As i holds together advanced mathematics, the invention of which I speak is the glue that keeps the world from crumbling at its base. It is god. In a world where existence looms as impossible expression, a figurative X^(1/2)=-Z, god is the imaginary constant that gives us a real number. He, she, or it, allows us to bypass the infinite sea that is existence. You will never see a soccer mom melt down on the side of the road because she has sought to understand the universe. She is able to solve this unsolvable equation because, to be honest, she cheats. God is her i, god gives her a literal and figurative solution. And as long as he is canceled out, as long as his existence is never truly proven, no problem arises. That is to say, because the idea of god cannot be undeniably proven nor disproven, we never truly have to confront his falseness. He simply exists to get us through our problems, a silent guide to lead us blindly through the troubles we would rather not face head on. He is our i. i help us if he is solved.