As I lay in bed last night, staring at the ceiling and trying not to acknowledge that the faint digital clock on the dresser was turning midnight, I had to come to the realization that my mind wasn’t going to quit.  It was a common scenario, most of the time brought on by my own habits, and an affliction that I’m sure I share with millions of people around the globe. 

 

It’s not insomnia, per se, but if insomnia had a younger brother who wasn’t nearly as strong, yet you were afraid to mess with him because his older brother would beat you up - that would accurately describe it.  My thought processes kept me just enough awake to be extremely annoying.  Typically, I would try to ignore them, but that didn’t help much.  At that point I would just be thinking about not thinking, but I digress. 

 

Thoughts of our upcoming move, the sale of our house, my wife going back to school, finances, all of it was weighing heavily on my mind, and had been for the past few months.  Luckily, those were the things that were easy push to the back of my mind.  I had been thinking about them for so long during the day, I could afford to do without them for a while.  Ironically, those were the very things that were most likely keeping me up. 

 

The memorable news stories of the day were still fresh in my head, and I mulled over them once more, staring past the ceiling to watch my mental TV.  Tim Russert, a Buffalo native, passed away unexpectedly, a poignant reminder that despite our best efforts, we may never truly be prepared for the events that surround us.  A three-year old date sapling, grown from 2,000 year-old seeds discovered in a Jewish fortress, may provide long-extinct DNA clues to new cures and medical advancements. 

 

As I watched the lights from a passing car revolve around the room, I thought of the single question that both stories posed, both of them from opposite ends of the spectrum:  Is life really fragile?  I thought about it some more and realized that it was simply a matter of perception. 

 

Our health, if not fostered and cared for, can without question fall apart before our eyes.  That aside, even people that lead healthy lifestyles can fall victim to any number of fatal consequences.  A baby having no means of parental guidance, left to fend for themselves will most likely perish, regardless of the species.  A human’s unique ability to empathize, love, care for and attach itself emotionally to those it holds close only makes the reality of the situation clearer and more poignant: loss is a painful experience, and as such, opens our eyes to the fact that we must take great care in preserving life.  When things such as those on a personal level can affect us so greatly, life is without a doubt a fragile thing.

 

When looking at the world (and the universe, for that matter) through an objective lens, we read stories such as the one listed above, where the recipe of life was preserved for two millenia before being allowed to grow.  What circumstances occurred that allowed this to happen?  How is it that despite ice ages and extinctions, our planet has somehow found its way back to a thriving state, teeming with life?  It is because in defiance of the many environmental combinations available that would prevent life,  a large number of conditions also exist that encourage it.  To use the old example of a nuclear holocaust, everything would perish, but eventually something would find its way through; after millions of years, life would again be restored.  It is perhaps a cycle that has been, and will continue to be, repeated throughout existence.

 

The latter view of life is rather cold and logical, and even though it is a viable way of looking at things, I find it hard to stomach.  It is, in a sense, the micro and the macro.  The personal vs. the big picture.  Hope and doubt, if you choose to look at it that way.  There are those, of course, who would view the perseverance of life on earth as exclusively unique, and who can argue with them?  As of now, we have nothing to prove otherwise.  There are also those who view life as a force that runs beyond our perception, reaching to the far ends of the universe - something that literally EVERYTHING has a part in, not just us.  That, as well, has not been proven or disproved. 

 

This topic is really a fundamental one, and one that offers many different views into many other discussions.  How do you feel about it?  Does the fragility or strength of life make it any less or more important to you?  Does it impact the way we handle or view it in our everyday actions?  Do you differentiate between the types or qualities of lives in order to come to your decision?  Abortion, euthanasia, breeding, sacrifice - these are some of the heavy hitting issues when it comes to this discussion, but what of those topics not related to humans?  There’s the ever nebulous: what exactly is life?

 

I feel like I can write for hours on this, but it’s best to tackle it one discussion at a time.  Chew on your thoughts for a while, and we’ll revisit this down the road! 

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