Things We Cannot See
Kathie Foster, Superintendent
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince -
As I write this reflection, we are in the midst of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus outbreak throughout our state, our nation, and the world. This unprecedented pandemic has caused an even greater increase in anxiety and fear to an already frenetic and stressed-out society. Likely originating in Wuhan, China, this microscopic infectious agent causes a respiratory infection that has now affected countless numbers of people and has become a world-wide public health concern. The pandemic has led me to ponder the things in our lives that impact us deeply yet cannot be seen.
We can start with the laws of the universe. While we go about our lives each and every day there are many complex systems and forces operating which are beyond our ability to perceive. Did you know, for instance, that despite the age of our earth, we have only explored a tiny fraction of our visible ocean? Or consider that just 5% of the universe is observable matter while the rest is dark matter and dark energy. Where would we be without the oxygen we breathe? This vital life-giving element is essential to our existence, yet we can’t see, feel, taste or touch it. Has it ever occurred to you that we humans are clinging to the surface of a giant rock while hurtling through space around a massive ball of fire? I, for one, am certainly grateful for gravity. Here’s an interesting fact. Did you know that although we are made of atoms, only 1% of our bodies consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons? The other 99% of us is really just empty space! Hmmm, perhaps this will teach us not to be so full of ourselves. Read more...