The Bootstrap Problem

'Eureka!' Stephen exclaimed. His creation was finally working. By changing the eigenvalue to a lower number and performing a spectral decomposition, he managed to work out a possible model for a time machine. Everyone was tense as he started the test in his lab earlier. Once the test succeeded, everyone cheered and applauded for Dr. Werner's amazing work. The discovery of the technology would surely pave the way for many astounding discoveries. Dr. Stephen Werner is one of the most successful theoretical physicists. His work in the field of gravitons and solving the string theory problem has earned his place as the most genius person of all time, beating Einstein who is now in second place. Werner wondered if it is possible to test the machine again and defy the paradox problem. He decides to go meet his past self and hand himself an idea; “You have to run from the authorities to have peace”. This way, he can observe if the bootstrap paradox is real or not and if he is successful in his mission, he has another Doctorate in his clutches. The thought made him smile and feel excited. The next day, he drove his car to the lab, still thinking about the idea. He couldn’t figure out why he got that idea or where it came from. It was totally random and that fact was overwhelming him. However, the atmosphere at the lab instantly changed his mood, and he was back to feeling like a small child visiting a toy shop. He went into the time machine and travelled back 20 years, and managed to meet his old self. ‘Hello Stephen. You may not know me now, but you will know me when you are older. Please run away from the authorities to have peace.’ He said, and went away. Young Stephen was bamboozled about who this man was and what he was talking about. However, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he said either. He kept on thinking and thinking until one day, he got arrested for seemingly no reason. The authorities seemed to know what he was thinking of, and after days of t*****e, he finally escaped from the place. He ran and ran and ran and wondered about the thought he was given. Gradually, he grows old and begins to regret what he had to endure, and thus built a time machine so that he doesn’t have to go through the t*****e. He goes back in time again, meeting his past self again, and handed the idea again. The young Stephen he met still got caught and tortured, and so he also grew old to regret the beatings. He also built a time machine and went back into the past to try and change it. After this whole process repeated a few times, Stephen finally realized that his initial mission had failed and he had been stuck in the Bootstrap Paradox loop. Devastated, Stephen did everything to break free from the loop so he can live peacefully again but it never happened. He was still being caught and he kept escaping and it repeated over and over again. Until one day he grew old, he finally accepted his fate which he had chosen for himself. ‘Life is so unfair.’ He told himself as he was being taken into the t*****e room of the authorities’ station.