The Earth is really an amazing place. Most of those reading this post call it home.
I wake up in the morning and hear the birds chirping. I feel the cool breeze, as the air has lowered in temperature overnight. Soon the first beams of the sun begin to appear in the sky, over the majestic mountaintops. From high above the land in an uncomfortable window seat on an airplane, I’ve seen those same sunbeams protruding over the horizon, and could almost detect the natural curvature of the globe on which we live.
Yet think of the incredible forces that occur every moment.
We have a biosphere which affects an atmosphere. It is covered in aerobic organisms. We have an protective ozone layer and a magnetic field that permitting life to exist. Earth (at least the land part) is covered in tectonic plates that feature gradual migratory movement. Salt-water oceans saturate the planet, whose waves and flow are affected by the gravitational pull of the sun. That same pull means that instead of travelling a straight path, our momentum has us circling that orb. We circle the sun in a 93,205,678 miles round trip at about 67,108 miles per hour (108,000 km/h). At the same time, we tumble round and round on our own axis at just over 1000 miles per hour (depending somewhat on your location in proximity to the equator).
All of that motion makes me want to take a Dramamine®.
The richness and resources of the planet are equally astounding. We dig within the rock and find valuable materials, such as salt, metals, minerals, and coal. Some areas feature reserves of natural gas, while others are rich in oil that fuel our modern life. In our more recent history, we have built automobiles, airplanes, and space shuttles which we use to travel about the planet, creating more motion and momentum.
I wonder how all of this came to be? Matter is neither created nor destroyed, so I picture the Creator taking a little here and a little there from the elements to bring a basic world together. Some volcanic rock here; some topsoil there. Like a Chia-Pet®, add water and grow. Then I imagine the steady hand of God touching the highest mountaintop and giving it a push to begin its 24 hour axis orbit. Add a breath of wind to direct it into the gravitational path of the sun, where it began its rotation.
And as I ride upon that large rock, in my perception, I stand outside my home and listen to the birds chirp, feel the cool breeze, and watch the first rays of the sun appear to my view. I find moments of peace, quiet, and calm in a planet that is nothing but.