July 9, 1922. That was the day my dad was born. He was an extraordinary man, and I miss him.
He loved to learn about the Universe we are in, and he instilled this quality in his children. All of my siblings and I are curious learners.
So, in honor of that presence, I’d like to point out a few things.
There are a lot of things that had to go exactly right for us to be living here on this Planet Earth.
As many of you know, Earth happens to be located in a remote corner of the Milky Way. This particular location in our galaxy presents fewer threats. You know, things like a huge star devouring us with its gravity. Or a black hole sucking us away into heaven only knows where.
But, with great big luck, the star we do have nearby is the Sun. It is a nice big star. It is stable. And, most importantly, it is the perfect distance away to sustain liquid water. That’s pretty huge because we humans need water to survive.
Of course, all stars get feisty from time to time. So, when the Sun does send deadly flares our way, they’re not devastating and deadly because the Earth’s core produces a magnetic field that deflects radiation. Take that, you deadly flares.
If that weren’t enough, the Earth also contains critical elements like oxygen and carbon. Hold on to your hats, because Earth’s atmosphere also traps heat. Not too much heat, not too little heat. Just right, like the Goldilocks of planets.
In addition, Earth has a shield in Jupiter that deflects asteroids and comets from smashing into it. Our bodyguard, it seems.
Let’s not forget our good, good Moon that stabilizes the climate and controls the ebb and flow of our oceans.
And finally, the Earth has that great active plate tectonic system that produces volcanoes. And those eruptions may have led to the first instances of life.
Plus, it’s the only planet in the solar system that has Cheez Whiz, Dolly Parton, and Chia Pets.
Oh, what a world in which we live.
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“You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.”
– Max Ehrmann
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“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.”
– Neil deGrasse Tyson
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“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
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We are in the right place it seems. Universally speaking.
