As I Write so I Think
Those who know me are apt to be most critical because of the availability of points on which my perception departs from that of others. That people really close to each other can live in very different perceptual structures is well known. That the person next to you may be like an alien being clmes as a surprise that we come to terms with in courts, in work environmentsm, on the street, and in conflicts.
We may look at the sane things with similar tools and yet perceive vastly different entities. That us why science us so successful at building bridges because it forces us to make some of the perceptions in a common frame work of reference and agreement. Unlike religion, science builds bridges to common understanding between people who are sane adults. Religion in contrast seeks to take away copmonly agreed frames of reference in favour of specialized reference which must be learned or experienced.
Our difficulty, however, is that science too is a religion based on the perception of quanta. Quanta are what give the world it's physical qualities and laws. Yes, quanta do exist and they are governed by universal laws. Any breaking of the physical laws requires the whole framework to be reassessed and that is expensive.
It is done, however, over and over again, so much so that science is actally able to make progress while it's competitors, the other religions, remain somewhat stagnant in the development, at least in general terms.
Now science teaches us that black holes exist on enormous numbers and that our universe is a huge upward scaled e entitiy of unbelievably large size. It also says that a considerable amount of energy and matter that could explain the distribution of observed matter is missing.
More of what is, is not, and most of what is not, is! What a paradox!
If our universe is inside a black hole then the light of our universe does not escape because energy in huge amounts is being pulled into our universe and cannot escape as light hitting as it does the boundaries of our ability to observe and the horizon of our universe, the entrance energy edge of the black hole that holds our universe. We are truly captured.
Now suppose that the end wraps time and matter to the full cycle of a loop such that time bends around. This could happen as a ginormous circle and look somewhat like the ancient Egyptian religious symbol that used to be carried around the wrist as a symbol of spiritual / religious understanding.
Alternatively, the image of our universe might look like a huge infinity symbol that represented eternity to the ancient Britons descended from the more ancient Egyptians. The image is akin to the symbol of recycling and return, of the hare.
In any event, it is my guess that although the Egyptians and early peoples could not see all the details of our galaxies and universe, their astronomers may have guessed at it's dimensions. Thus it is that complete societies were devoted to the notion of recycling into another world. It's hard to imagine that they thought the ships, tools, and food that they buried with their dead would remain useful. They probably thought that the structure of supports for life could pass through the same veil of death ad human beings. In other words, all matter is living and just patterns to be used in physical environments that may occur with the passage across the veil of space/time, which may be more immediate than sciences or religions give credit.