“What God Has Joined Together”: The Sacred Principle of Unity in Theology, Nature, and the Structure of Reality

 

Title: “What God Has Joined Together”: The Sacred Principle of Unity in Theology, Nature, and the Structure of Reality

In Matthew 19:6 and Mark 10:9, Jesus declares:

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

This  very simple  verse in the Bible has always caught my mind that says what God puts together, let no man put asunder. I thought of this  verse many times in the past, and I think it time for me pour out my thoughts the meaning of that verse that extends far beyond just the union between man and woman in marriage - something almost everyone who read that verse would literally interpret . It is a law to me that applies to everything throughout the universe that God created even before time.  

Let me share  my thoughts with you and with others my philosophy, theology, and  science joining them together as

one in union and in harmony. 

At its most immediate level, this is a powerful teaching on the sanctity and permanence of marriage. Jesus affirms that marriage is not merely a social contract or legal arrangement, but a divine act. It is God Himself who joins two persons into one reality, and therefore no human authority, whether cultural, legal, or emotional, has the moral right to dissolve what God has instituted.

Marriage, in this view, is not simply a human invention; it is a sacred ontological union. It participates in something deeper than romance or convenience, it reflects the creative and unifying act of God Himself.

Beyond Marriage: A Universal Principle of Divine Unity

Yet, as  so beautifully sensed, this verse carries a meaning that reaches far beyond human marriage alone. It expresses a universal spiritual principle: God is a God of unity, not fragmentation. What He joins is meant to remain whole.

In other words, this verse reveals something about the very structure of reality itself. Creation is not built on isolated parts, but on meaningful relationships, complementarities, and unions.

Yin and Yang: The Language of Complementarity

The ancient Chinese concept of yin and yang expresses a remarkably similar intuition. Reality is structured in pairs of complementary opposites. Just 6  examples would be sufficient to carry the message. 

1. Light and darkness 2. Heat and cold 3. Positive and negative 4. Male and female 5. Activity and rest 6. Forgiveness and revenge 

These are not enemies, but partners in balance. One cannot exist meaningfully without the other. The universe functions not by eliminating opposites, but by uniting them into harmony.

This harmonizes deeply with the biblical worldview: God creates through relational pairs. Separation leads to disorder; unity leads to life.

The Unity of Body and Soul

Spiritually and theologically, the human person is not merely a body using a soul, or a soul trapped in a body. We are a single integrated being, body and soul joined by God.

To reduce the human being to only biology (materialism), or only spirit (hyper-spiritualism), is to “put asunder” what God has joined. True human flourishing comes from honoring both dimensions together:

The body without the soul becomes a machine. The soul without the body becomes a ghost.

Only together do we become a person. This again reflects the same divine principle of unity.

Christ and the Church: The Ultimate Union

Saint Paul takes Jesus’ teaching even further. In Ephesians 5:31–32, he applies the “one flesh” concept to Christ and the Church:

“This is a great mystery, but I am speaking about Christ and the Church.”

Here marriage becomes a cosmic symbol. Just as husband and wife are joined into one, so Christ is eternally united with His people. This is not a loose association but a covenant, living union.

The message is radical: God does not merely rule humanity from a distance, He unites Himself with humanity.

Divine and Human in Christ

In early Christian theology, this verse was even applied to the nature of Christ Himself. Jesus is fully God and fully human, two natures united in one person.

Any attempt to separate these (making Jesus only divine or only human) was considered heresy. Why? Because again, it violates the same sacred law:

What God has joined together, let no one separate.

Christ is the ultimate expression of unity: heaven and earth meeting in one person.

Let's look at this verse in the eyes of  science. 

Scientific Echoes of the Same Truth

Although Jesus was not making a scientific statement, it is fascinating how modern science repeatedly uncovers the same pattern of inseparable unions.

Space-Time

Einstein showed that space and time are not independent entities but a single four-dimensional fabric: space-time. We cannot have space without time or time without space. Gravity itself emerges from their union.

To speak of “pure space” or “pure time” is already an abstraction. In reality, they exist only together.

Mass and Energy

Even more striking is Einstein’s famous equation:

E = mc²

Mass and energy are not separate substances, they are two expressions of the same underlying reality. When separated violently, as in nuclear reactions in nuclear bombs of mass destruction, the consequences are catastrophic. 

Here again, we see the same principle: separation releases enormous power, often destructive power.

Unity sustains order. Separation unleashes chaos. So is separation in marriage to a  family. 

 

Matter and Energy: A Modern Parable

In a philosophical sense, one might say that modern physics itself testifies to a “natural law version” of Jesus’ teaching. Matter and energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. They are eternally linked.

Human beings may rearrange, manipulate, and exploit them, but we cannot abolish the unity God has written into the fabric of existence.

The Indivisibility of Truth

Some theologians, like Johann Bengel, extended this principle even further: whatever God has defined, blessed, or ordained should not be distorted by human cleverness, ideology, or legalism.

Truth itself is a unity. When humans fragment truth, separating facts from meaning, science from ethics, knowledge from wisdom, we create confusion rather than enlightenment.

A Deep Pattern Written into Reality

Seen this way, Matthew 19:6 is not only about marriage. It is about how God builds the universe:

Not through isolated atoms, but through relationships.

Not through fragmentation, but through integration.

Not through opposition, but through complementarity.

From quarks to galaxies, from body and soul to Christ and the Church, from mass-energy to space-time, reality itself seems to whisper the same message:

Unity is not accidental. It is fundamental. It is sacred.

My Final Reflection 

Perhaps Jesus’ words reveal something even more profound:
God is not merely a creator of things, but a creator of relationships.

And sin, at its deepest level, is not just wrongdoing, it is separation:

separation from God, separation from one another, separation within ourselves.

Salvation, therefore, is not only forgiveness. It is re-union.
Healing is not merely curing. It is re-integration.
Love is not possession. It is participation in unity.

So when Jesus says,
“What God has joined together, let no one separate,”
He may be revealing nothing less than the hidden architecture of creation itself.

A universe designed not for division, but for communion and sharing. 

"Therefore, when Jesus said, 'What God has joined together, let no one separate,' He may have been revealing the hidden structure behind all of creation: a universe designed not for division, but for communion, unity, and sharing. 

Just as wisdom and knowledge are a pair of twin identities bestowed upon us by God, they should not be separated if we pray with sincerity; material wealth, on the other hand, can be added later. As Acts 20:35 states:

'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Thus, I believe that sharing these thoughts with you, gentle readers, is more blessed for us than mere possession. May we all find wisdom and light in unity. Thank you."

 

Mandarin Version: 

 

标题：

《神所配合的，人不可分开》：神学、自然与现实结构中的神圣合一原则

在《马太福音》19:6 与《马可福音》10:9 中，耶稣宣告：

“既然如此，夫妻不再是两个人，乃是一体的了。所以，神所配合的，人不可分开。”

圣经中这节极其简短却深刻的经文，多年来一直萦绕在我的心中：神所配合的，人不可分开。
我在过去无数次思考这句话，并逐渐意识到，它的意义远远超越了婚姻中男女的结合。它更像是一条普遍的宇宙法则，适用于神在时间之前所创造的一切存在。

在这里，我想与大家分享我个人的思考——把哲学、神学与科学结合在一起，看它们如何在一个更高层次上彼此呼应，合而为一，彼此和谐。

婚姻的神圣本质

在最直接的层面上，这节经文首先是对婚姻神圣性与永久性的宣告。
耶稣强调，婚姻不仅仅是一种社会契约或法律安排，而是一个神圣的行动。真正使两个人成为一体的，不是人类制度，而是神自己。

因此，无论是文化、法律，还是情感因素，都没有道德权柄去拆散神所设立的合一。

在这个意义上，婚姻并不是人类发明的制度，而是一种本体论层面的神圣联合（ontological union）。
它不仅仅是浪漫或便利的结果，而是反映了神自身那种创造与联合万物的行动。

超越婚姻：神圣合一的普遍原则

然而，正如我们直觉中所感受到的，这节经文的意义远远超越了人类婚姻。
它揭示了一个更普遍的属灵原则：神是一位合一的神，而不是分裂的神。

神所联合的，本来就应该保持完整。

换句话说，这节经文实际上揭示了现实本身的结构。
宇宙并不是由孤立的碎片构成，而是由有意义的关系、互补性与联合所组成。

阴与阳：互补的语言

中国古老的“阴阳”思想，恰恰表达了非常相似的宇宙直觉。
现实世界是由一对对互补的要素构成

光与暗

热与冷

正与负

男与女

活动与休息

这些并不是敌人，而是平衡中的伙伴。

任何一方若脱离另一方，都失去真实意义。

宇宙并不是通过消灭对立而运行，而是通过统一对立而达成和谐。

这与圣经的世界观高度一致：
神通过“关系性的配对”来创造万物。
分离带来混乱，合一带来生命。

身体与灵魂的合一

从属灵与神学角度看，人并不是一个“使用灵魂的身体”，
也不是一个“被困在身体里的灵魂”。

人是一个整体的存在：身体与灵魂由神联合成为一个人。

若只把人看成生物机器（唯物主义），
或只看成纯粹灵体（过度灵性化），
都是在“拆散神所联合的”。

真正的人类丰盛生命，来自于对这两者同时的尊重：

没有灵魂的身体只是机器，
没有身体的灵魂只是幽灵。

只有两者合一，我们才成为“一个人”。

基督与教会：终极的联合

圣保罗把耶稣的教导推向更深层次。
在《以弗所书》5:31–32 中，他把“一体”的概念应用于基督与教会：

“这是极大的奥秘，但我是指着基督和教会说的。”

在这里，婚姻成为一个宇宙性的象征。
正如夫妻成为一体，基督也与他的子民永远联合。

这不是松散的关系，而是盟约式的生命联合。

信息极其激进而深刻：
神不是在远方统治人类，
而是亲自与人类联合。

基督里的神性与人性

早期基督教神学甚至把这节经文应用在基督本身的本性上。
耶稣是完全的神，也完全的人，两种本性合一于一个位格。

任何试图把耶稣只变成神或只变成人的理论，
都被视为异端。

原因很简单：
因为这同样违背了那条神圣法则：

神所配合的，人不可分开。

基督本身，就是天与地在一位身上的相遇。

科学中的回声

虽然耶稣并不是在讲科学，但令人惊叹的是，现代科学不断发现同样的合一结构。

时空（Space-Time）

爱因斯坦证明，空间与时间并不是两个独立实体，
而是一个四维整体：时空。

没有纯粹的空间，也没有脱离空间的时间。
重力本身，就是时空结构的结果。

质量与能量（Mass–Energy）

爱因斯坦最著名的公式：

E = mc²

质量与能量并不是两种不同物质，
而是同一现实的两种表现形式。

当它们被极端方式分离（如核反应、核武器），
释放出来的是毁灭性的力量。

再次印证同一原则：

合一维持秩序，
分离释放混乱与破坏。

婚姻与家庭的破裂，其实也是同样的模式。

物质与能量：现代寓言

从哲学角度看，现代物理仿佛在为耶稣的话提供一个“自然法则版本”的注解：

物质与能量不能被消灭，只能被转化。
人类可以操控、重组、利用它们，
却无法废除神写入宇宙结构中的合一性。

真理的不可分割性

一些神学家（如约翰·本格尔）甚至把这个原则扩展到“真理”本身：

凡是神所定义、祝福、设立的，
都不应被人类的聪明、意识形态或法律主义所扭曲。

真理本身是一体的。
当人类把事实与意义分开，
把科学与伦理分开，
把知识与智慧分开，
结果不是启蒙，而是混乱。

写在现实结构中的深层模式

从这个角度看，《马太福音》19:6 不只是关于婚姻，
而是关于神如何建构整个宇宙：

不是通过孤立的原子，而是通过关系

不是通过分裂，而是通过整合

不是通过对抗，而是通过互补

从夸克到星系，

从身体与灵魂到基督与教会，
从质量与能量到空间与时间，

现实本身仿佛在低声诉说同一个信息：

合一不是偶然的，
它是根本的，
它是神圣的。

我的最后反思

也许耶稣的话揭示了更深的真理：
神不仅是万物的创造者，
更是关系的创造者。

而罪在最深层次上，不只是错误行为，
而是分离：

与神的分离，
与他人的分离，
与自我的分离。

救赎不只是赦免，
而是重新联合（re-union）。
医治不只是修复，
而是重新整合（re-integration）。
爱不是占有，
而是参与合一。

所以当耶稣说：

“神所配合的，人不可分开。”

他也许是在揭示整个创造背后的隐藏结构：

一个不是为分裂而设计的宇宙，
而是为共融、合一与分享而存在的宇宙。

正如智慧与知识是神赐给我们的一对“双生身份”，
若我们真心祈求，它们不应被分离；
而物质财富反倒可以后来再加。

正如《使徒行传》20:35 所说：
施比受更为有福。

因此，我相信，与温柔的读者分享这些思想，
比单纯“拥有”更为蒙福。

愿我们都在合一中得着智慧与光明。
谢谢大家。

The Moon, the Tides, and the Slow Expenditure of Earth’s Rotational Energy (In English and Chinese versions)

 

The Moon, the Tides, and the Slow Expenditure of Earth’s Rotational Energy

I wrote an article last year on:

The Moon and Tides - From Ancient Wonder to Celestial Mechanics

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=time+and+tides

See also this recent article I wrote here: 

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2026/01/on-astronomy-slow-theft-of-time-earths.html

Let me continue where I left out to explain the energy expenditure of a rotating Earth to raise up the tides twice each day across the oceans including over the solid Earth

Since its formation some 4.54 billion years ago, the Earth has never ceased to rotate. That rotation is not merely a kinematic fact but a vast reservoir of energy, accumulated during the violent assembly of the planet and preserved by the near-frictionless environment of space. Yet the Earth does not spin freely. The Moon, by raising tides in both ocean and solid rock, continuously extracts energy and angular momentum from Earth’s rotation. The result is a planet whose days grow imperceptibly longer, and a Moon that drifts slowly outward, year after year.

A useful physical analogy is that of a spinning top. In a perfect vacuum, with no contact and no friction, the top would spin forever. In reality, friction at its tip and drag from air convert rotational energy into heat, while angular momentum is transferred to the Earth beneath it. The Earth itself resembles an almost ideal spinning top: it touches nothing material as it rotates and is surrounded by near-vacuum. Non-idealities remain, however, and among them, tidal friction is overwhelmingly dominant.

The Moon’s gravitational field is not uniform across the Earth. The side nearer the Moon experiences a stronger pull than the centre, and the far side experiences a weaker pull. This differential force produces two tidal bulges in the oceans: one facing the Moon and one opposite. As the Earth rotates, its continents and seabeds continually pass through these bulges. Water is forced to move, to surge against coastlines, to flow through shallow seas, straits, and continental shelves. Every such motion dissipates energy as heat through friction.

Less visible, but equally important, are tides raised in the solid Earth itself. Twice each day, the rocky crust and mantle deform by a few centimeters and relax again. This continual flexing generates internal friction, converting rotational energy into heat deep within the planet. Together, oceanic tides and solid-Earth tides act as a global brake on Earth’s rotation.

The magnitude of this braking can be quantified. Modern geophysical estimates place the total tidal dissipation at approximately 3 to 4 terawatts (TW) of power. Expressed differently, Earth loses about:

3–4 × 10¹² joules per second

≈ 2.5–3.5 × 10¹⁴ joules per minute

≈ 2.0–3.0 × 10¹⁷ joules per day

≈ 7–10 × 10¹⁹ joules per year

Older estimates, often expressed in thermal units, correspond to roughly 20–40 billion kilocalories per minute, in good agreement with modern values once units are reconciled.

This energy loss is astonishingly small compared with Earth’s total rotational energy, which is on the order of 2 × 10²⁹ joules. At the present rate, it takes about 62,500 years for the day to lengthen by a single second. Today, the average secular increase in day length is approximately 1.7 milliseconds per century, or 44 billionths of a second per day.

Although small, this change is measurable. Atomic clocks have revealed that Earth is an imperfect timekeeper. Superimposed upon the slow, monotonic tidal braking are irregular variations caused by earthquakes, mantle convection, atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, and seasonal redistribution of mass. These effects can shorten or lengthen the day by milliseconds over short timescales, but they average out over decades. What remains is the inexorable lunar tide.

Evidence for Earth’s faster rotation in the past comes not only from astronomy but from geology and palaeontology. Fossil corals from the Middle Devonian, studied by John West Wells in 1963, show daily growth bands that imply about 400 days per year some 400 million years ago, corresponding to a day length of roughly 21.9 hours. Historical astronomy shows that at the time of the Great Pyramids, about 4,500 years ago, the day was approximately 0.07 milliseconds shorter than today. Shortly after the Moon’s formation, Earth may have rotated once every 5–6 hours.

As Earth loses rotational angular momentum, the Moon gains orbital angular momentum and slowly recedes at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year. This is a direct consequence of the conservation of angular momentum. In the very distant future, far beyond the Sun’s lifetime, namely the Earth and Moon may become tidally locked, with a single day lasting many present-day weeks.

The scale of tidal energy dissipation invites a natural comparison with human energy use. Modern civilization consumes roughly 18–20 terawatts of primary energy on average, equivalent to about 1.5–1.7 × 10²⁰ joules per day. Earth’s tidal dissipation of 3–4 terawatts therefore amounts to roughly 15–25% of humanity’s total power consumption, or about one-sixth to one-quarter of global daily energy use. In other words, every day, Earth converts rotational energy into heat through tides on a scale comparable to that used daily by all of humanity

This raises an obvious question: can we harness tidal energy as a clean and sustainable resource?

The answer is yes, but only partially. Tidal energy can be extracted through tidal barrages, tidal lagoons, and tidal-stream turbines that exploit fast-flowing currents. Unlike wind or solar energy, tides are exquisitely predictable, governed by celestial mechanics rather than weather. Tidal power is clean, produces no greenhouse gases during operation, and operates day and night.

However, only a small fraction of global tidal dissipation occurs in locations suitable for energy extraction. Most tidal energy is lost as low-grade heat in shallow seas, continental shelves, and the solid Earth itself, namely in places inaccessible or impractical for engineering. Even optimistic estimates suggest that at most 1–2 terawatts of tidal power could be sustainably harvested worldwide without significantly altering coastal ecosystems or tidal dynamics. This is valuable but cannot replace all other energy sources.

Moreover, extracting tidal energy slightly increases the rate at which Earth’s rotation slows. The effect is minuscule compared with natural tidal braking, but it serves as a reminder that even “renewable” energy ultimately comes from finite reservoirs, in this case, Earth’s rotational energy.

The tides therefore teach a subtle lesson. The Moon has been drawing down Earth’s rotational energy for billions of years, lengthening the day, shaping climates, guiding biological rhythms, and recording its work in fossils and rocks. Humanity has now reached a level of technological maturity where it can tap into this ancient process, but only modestly and with care.

Time itself, measured by the length of the day, is not fixed. It is a dynamic quantity, sculpted by gravity, friction, and the slow exchange of angular momentum between Earth and Moon. Each tide that rises and falls is a small expenditure from a planetary energy account that has been open since the birth of the Earth, and will not close until long after human clocks have fallen silent.

 References for further reading

1. Munk, W. H., & MacDonald, G. J. F. The Rotation of the Earth. Cambridge University Press.

2. Lambeck, K. The Earth’s Variable Rotation. Cambridge University Press.3.

3. Wells, J. W. (1963). Coral growth and geochronometry. Nature, 197, 948–950.4.

4. Ray, R. D., & Egbert, G. D. (2012). Tidal dissipation in the solid Earth. Journal of Geophysical Research.

5. IPCC & IEA global energy statistics (recent summaries).

Here is my Chinese version of the above article: 

月球、潮汐与地球自转能的缓慢消耗

- 时间的物理学与行星能量的支出

我在去年写过一篇文章：

《月球与潮汐——从古代奇观到天体力学》

（链接略）

让我从那里继续，解释一个旋转着的地球，为了每天两次在全球海洋（以及固体地球）中掀起潮汐，究竟付出了怎样的能量代价。

自大约 45.4 亿年前 形成以来，地球从未停止过自转。这种旋转不仅仅是一个运动学事实，更是一个巨大的能量储库——在行星剧烈聚集形成的过程中积累，并在近乎无摩擦的宇宙环境中得以保存。然而，地球并非自由旋转。月球通过在海洋和固体岩石中激发潮汐，不断从地球的自转中抽取能量和角动量。其结果是：地球的白昼在极其缓慢地变长，而月球则年复一年地缓慢远离。

一个有用的物理类比是旋转的陀螺。在完美真空中，没有接触、没有摩擦，陀螺将永远旋转。但在现实中，陀螺尖端的摩擦和空气阻力会把转动能转化为热，同时将角动量传递给下方的地面。地球本身就像一个几乎理想的陀螺：它在旋转时并不接触任何物质，并被近乎真空的空间所包围。然而，非理想因素仍然存在，而其中最主要的正是——潮汐摩擦。

月球的引力场在地球上并不均匀。靠近月球的一侧受到的引力较强，地球中心较弱，而远离月球的一侧最弱。这种引力差异在海洋中产生了两个潮汐隆起：一个朝向月球，一个在背向月球的一侧。随着地球自转，大陆和海底不断穿过这些隆起，海水被迫运动、冲击海岸线、流经浅海、海峡和大陆架。所有这些运动都会通过摩擦将能量耗散为热。

同样重要但不那么显眼的是，固体地球本身也会产生潮汐。每天两次，地壳和地幔会发生几厘米的弹性形变，然后再恢复。这种持续不断的弯曲与松弛在地球内部产生摩擦，将自转能转化为热。海洋潮汐与固体潮汐共同构成了一个全球性的制动系统，持续减慢地球的自转。

这种制动效应的大小是可以定量估算的。现代地球物理学认为，全球潮汐耗散功率大约为：

3–4 太瓦（TW）

换一种表达方式，地球大约损失：

• 每秒：3–4 × 10¹² 焦耳

• 每分钟：2.5–3.5 × 10¹⁴ 焦耳

• 每天：2.0–3.0 × 10¹⁷ 焦耳

• 每年：7–10 × 10¹⁹ 焦耳

早期以热量单位表示的估算值，大约为每分钟 200–400 亿千卡，在单位换算后与现代结果高度一致。

与地球巨大的自转总能量（约 2 × 10²⁹ 焦耳）相比，这个损失极其微小。按当前速率计算，大约需要 62,500 年，一天才会变长 1 秒。目前观测到的长期平均值是：每世纪增加约 1.7 毫秒，也就是每天约 0.000000044 秒。

尽管如此微小，这一变化却是可以测量的。原子钟揭示出：地球并不是一个完美的计时器。在缓慢而单调的潮汐制动之上，还叠加着由地震、地幔对流、大气环流、洋流以及季节性质量重新分布所引起的短期不规则变化。这些效应会在短时间内让一天变长或变短几毫秒，但在几十年的平均尺度上会相互抵消。最终留下的，是那不可逃避的——月球潮汐效应。

地球过去自转更快的证据不仅来自天文学，也来自地质学与古生物学。1963 年，John West Wells 对泥盆纪中期的化石珊瑚研究发现，其日生长纹表明：大约 4 亿年前一年有约 400 天，对应一天约 21.9 小时。历史天文学还显示，在大金字塔建成的年代（约 4500 年前），一天比今天短约 0.07 毫秒。而在月球刚形成不久时，地球可能每 5–6 小时就自转一圈。

随着地球失去自转角动量，月球则获得轨道角动量，并以约 每年 3.8 厘米 的速度逐渐远离。这是角动量守恒的直接结果。在极其遥远的未来，远远超过太阳寿命之后，地球和月球可能进入潮汐锁定状态，一个“地球日”将持续数个现代星期。

潮汐能量耗散的规模，自然会引发一个与人类社会有关的比较。现代文明平均消耗约 18–20 太瓦 的一次能源，相当于每天 1.5–1.7 × 10²⁰ 焦耳。因此，地球潮汐耗散的 3–4 太瓦，大约相当于人类总功率的 15–25%，也就是全球每日能耗的 六分之一到四分之一。

换句话说：每天，地球通过潮汐把自转能转化为热，其规模与整个人类文明每天使用的能量同一量级。

这自然引出了一个问题：
我们能否把潮汐能作为清洁、可持续的能源加以利用？

答案是：可以，但只能部分实现。

潮汐能可以通过潮汐坝、潮汐湖和潮流涡轮机来获取，利用快速流动的潮汐水流。与风能和太阳能不同，潮汐极其可预测，受天体力学而非天气控制。潮汐发电清洁、运行中不产生温室气体，而且昼夜不停。

然而，全球潮汐耗散中只有很小一部分发生在适合工程利用的地点。大多数潮汐能量以低品位热的形式耗散在浅海、大陆架和固体地球内部——这些地方要么无法接近，要么无法工程化。即使在最乐观的估计下，全球可持续开采的潮汐功率也只有 1–2 太瓦，而且不能显著改变海岸生态系统和潮汐动力学。这固然有价值，但无法取代所有其他能源。

此外，提取潮汐能会略微加快地球自转减慢的速率。虽然这一效应与自然潮汐制动相比微不足道，但它提醒我们：即使是“可再生能源”，最终也来自有限的能量储库——在这里，就是地球的自转能。

因此，潮汐给我们上了一堂极其微妙的课。数十亿年来，月球一直在消耗地球的自转能，拉长白昼，塑造气候，引导生物节律，并把这一切记录在化石与岩石之中。如今，人类已达到一种技术成熟阶段，能够开始利用这一古老过程，但只能谨慎而有限地进行。

时间本身——以一天的长度来衡量——并不是固定不变的。它是一个动态量，由引力、摩擦以及地月之间缓慢的角动量交换所塑造。每一次潮起潮落，都是从一个自地球诞生之日起就开设的“行星能量账户”中支出的一小笔，而这个账户，只有在远远超过人类文明终结之后，才会真正关闭。

延伸阅读参考文献

1. Munk, W. H., & MacDonald, G. J. F. The Rotation of the Earth. Cambridge University Press.

2.Lambeck, K. The Earth’s Variable Rotation. Cambridge University Press.

3. Wells, J. W. (1963). Coral growth and geochronometry. Nature, 197, 948–950.

4.Ray, R. D., & Egbert, G. D. (2012). Tidal dissipation in the solid Earth. Journal of Geophysical Research.

5.IPCC & IEA 全球能源统计报告（近期摘要）

What I  write  here is truly rare thought. It shows that time is not just measured by clocks, but paid for by energy.

In Chinese, this whole essay reads almost like a dialogue between physics and Daoism.

If I may say one poetic line in Chinese, inspired by my own spirit is this: 

“潮汐不是在移动海水，
而是在缓慢地移动时间本身。”

 

In English it means:

  

The tides are not moving the seawater, but rather slowly moving time itself.