Monday, July 22, 2013

Fascinating midpoint

Aside from the joyous and seemingly inescapable news that the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to an heir to the British throne, I heard this fascinating story about microbes and the role they play in our lives.  Apparently, though probably disturbing to think about, we have many more microbiomes living on and in us than our own cells.  For every cell we have on our face, we have 10 microbiomes.  They are finding more about how they may actually keep us healthy. Probiotics have been popular for sometime to restore the good bacteria in our stomachs, but these bacteria may actually control how we think from our stomachs, sending messages to our brains.  It's fascinating stuff.

I've been thinking for a while, in trying to comprehend the vastness of an infinite universe (which is beyond me), that we are a fascinating midpoint.  We are living in a vast universe, but each of us is made up of probably as many cells and systems ourselves as there are stars and planets. Innumerable. Now, knowing just how much we are host, too, I'm convinced of it. I think we are a midpoint between the small and the large. It can't be proven. It may just be hubris, but I think it may be so. We are walking solar systems, galaxies, universes. Each one of us.

With the birth of "superbaby", as I heard him called on the radio this morning, it's easy to wonder at the structures we put in place. What makes this particular child one that will live in an elevated place for the rest of his life? He will more than likely never know need, and will be treated like a divine. In return, he will somewhat lose any privacy or sense of personhood, and his service to his country will be the first claim on him. He is as born to service as the servant class. After all, for many centuries, royalty was that midpoint. Divine right of Kings assured that royalty meant that you were chosen by God, you were the one between the vast unknown that is divine, and the common laborer. You had a direct connection and were chosen.  Mostly now, people probably do not deep down believe that, though I'm sure there are some people on Earth who do.  For most, he will be a super celebrity, in the truest sense of the world. He will be celebrated.

My wonder now is at all of us. It's incredible what we are. We are all the midpoint.

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