Everything And Nothing

Quote of the day: 

“The average human lifespan compared to the age of the universe is the same as comparing a blink of an eye to that human lifespan. Relatively speaking, short and long lifespans are the same. Both are non-existent compared to the infinite that’s ahead. Furthermore, we cannot change the past, and have no guarantees for the future. We are only in charge of the present. The present is nothing—and it is everything.” ― John K. Brown

Bonsai Dwarf Olive Tree at Como Conservatory

Lately I am struck more and more often by the paradoxes that I experience in my life—perfectly imperfect, everything and nothing, knowing and unknowing, caring and not caring, truth and untruth, wholeness and dis-ease. I find that I need to stand and hold the two sides of these paradoxes and polarities ever so lightly, one in each hand. Otherwise, I get wrapped up in the ideas rather than remaining open and curious to what is.

I ponder “scientific facts” like, “More than 90% of the atom is empty space,” and wonder how things that seem so substantial like concrete, elephants, banyan trees, and me, can be at least 90% nothing. I consider the Big Bang and wonder how nothing turned into something. Have you ever contemplated physics and atoms and improbability of it all?

That’s why I’m filled with wonder looking at everyday beauty and contemplating ordinary miracles.

It’s all so incredibly improbable and unbelievable!

Astronomists and physicists think about stuff like this all the time. When I think about it for very long it makes my head hurt. But thinking about it is important. It keeps me humble. It helps me realize that I understand so very little. So here is my list today of ordinary miracles we rarely think about:

1. Gravity. It seems like a no brainer, but imagine the chaos in the universe if there were no gravity! No regular sunrise, sunset, no seasons, no planets traveling nicely in the same orbits year after year.  Nothing staying where you left it. Stuff floating willy-nilly all over the place.
2. Earth’s Atmosphere. The layer of gases that surround the earth because of gravity, protects life by absorbing UV rays, warms the earth through heat retention, and reduces temperature extremes from night to day. This atmosphere sustains life as we know it! Pretty cool (or warm as the case may be).
3. Soil. Soil is the skin of the earth. It acts as a habitat for soil organisms, a recycling system for nutrients and organic wastes, a regulator of water quality, a modifier of atmospheric composition, and a medium for plant growth. It contains most of the earth’s genetic diversity! A handful of soil can contain billions of organisms, belonging to thousands of species. Without soil, life as we know it could not exist.
4. Water. It is vital for all forms of life as we know it.  Water on Earth moves continually through the water cycle of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Safe drinking water is needed by all humans and other life forms.
5. Bacteria. When we think about bacteria we often think of them as enemies that must be eradicated, but bacteria are everywhere and without them we could not live! There are about ten times as many bacterial cells in humans as there are human cells in the body. Think about it. You and I are not just made of human cells, we contain and are sustained by millions of bacteria.
6. Trees. Beauty, food, fuel, building materials, paper, oxygen producers, soil erosion prevention—these are just a few of the many things trees provide us with. I love them for their sheer beauty alone, but they are so much more.

Everything… And nothing…

We understand so little, but all around us are miracles that make life possible.