Originally Posted by Trollheart

Well, to refute Batty's theory a little, I always understood that these parallel universes, assuming they exist, come into existence when an action taken results in a change that otherwise would not happen in our universe. Basically, you're talking about creating timelines.

If I Go to cross the road, and in this universe don't, and a car flies by, I breathe a sigh of relief, think that was a good decision and move on.

But...

at that very instant, another universe is created where I DO go across the road, and get killed. I am now dead, and all the actions I would have from that point onwards on people, the world in general etc are now changed. So let's say I was going to marry a woman who would produce a child who cured cancer. I'm dead, so that child may not ever be born.

But...

meanwhile in another universe, this woman marries another man who then gives her the child, and in that universe cancer is cured.

That's how I understand it works anyway. In theory, obviously. Nothing massively world-changing may happen differently, but seemingly tiny, insignificant actions can change the course of a life, or indeed the world.

Originally Posted by J.R.R. Tolkien

There is only one bright spot and that is the growing habit of disgruntled men of dynamiting factories and power-stations; I hope that, encouraged now as ‘patriotism’, may remain a habit! But it won’t do any good, if it is not universal.