More than Meets the Eye

 

There is something so serene and magical about the sky at night.  The stars sparkle and shine so perfectly as they coexist beautifully with the moon, illuminating the very ground we walk on.  Who hasn't taken a moment in their lives to stare in awe at the sky above us? To stare and wildly wonder what lies beyond the vastness of space that is continuously encompassing us.  For when you take a moment to conceptualize this mystery that man has been fascinated with since the beginning of time, you begin to realize that we are just small specs in one planet amongst the millions of other planets and things that are floating around with us in the utter unknown.


Life is all about perspective, and when you look at human existence from that perspective, it leaves you with this eerie and unsettling feeling.  The realization that I am just a tiny dot from the vantage point of a star in the enormity of the universe, is mind boggling and chilling.  It was obviously feelings like this that got ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle searching for the meaning of human existence itself.  As far as research has taken us to present day, we are the only known species of our kind living on one single planet Earth.  This always triggers people to question the true significance of human life in the larger scheme of the universe.  Are we just a spontaneous combustion of elements that coexist with the nature of our surroundings, or do human beings attain a purpose?

We all know there is no definitive answer to this.  It is a matter of opinion, or perspective.  Everyone has their debates.  Some people stand behind Science, while some people stand firmly in their faith's convictions.  Whose even to say that both ideals don't depend on each other?  You might be thinking, what on earth does this have to do with my blog about Crohn's Disease?  That question does have an answer, a very simple one at that, it has everything to do with it.

There is not a day that goes by when I don't question why I got stuck with this disease.  But contemplating why Crohn's was written in the fate of my life only begins to skim the surface to the depth of this mystery.  What causes this malfunction in my body? For when you stop to ponder about the human body itself, it's as just as much a mystery as the earth in space.  The anatomy and physiology of the human body is so intricate and detail specific, that years and years of research still can't find an explanation as to why diseases like Crohn's occur at all.

Why would something as powerful and complex as the human body be created for no purpose?  Before I continue, I must stress that my opinions are not to challenge any one's beliefs, this is my interpretation of my reality.  I truly believe that humans are the sole reason to the existence of the universe, even if we do only take up a small fraction of it.  Even though there are many theories that oblivion of the human race is inevitable, and that we are products of the Big Bang Theory or Evolution, so much more significance lies deep beneath the superficiality of those ideals.

For if human beings didn't possess a true purpose, how would it explain our emotions?  How would it explain our innate need for love, companionship, happiness, sadness, anger, and the very questions of existence that we all ponder from time to time? Most living creatures in this world attain a purpose, yet only man can utilize his mind to achieve the impossible. For me, the answer is definite; there is an amazing purpose for our species that our brains might never fully be able to grasp or comprehend.

Millions of people like me wake up every morning and wonder why we were put on this earth to suffer.  I've questioned my faith numerous times and wondered what heinous crime I committed to endure a life of chronic pain.  I am starting to understand that this has nothing to do with my beliefs, and it is most definitely not a punishment.  This is a consequence of a genetic defect.  This is a small error in the billions of different events taking place in my body every single second. This is something that just is, and this is something that took me almost a decade to accept.

"Dum vivimus, vivamus, horace."  We will never know the true purpose of our existence in this world, but "since we are living, let us live well."  You don't have to believe in a higher power or God.  However, no matter what your beliefs, it can not be denied that the many components working together every day to make our body's function, is immensely awe inspiring.  I believe the most imperative way for me to live a long, fulfilled life is to keep pushing through no matter how hard it gets or how sad some days can be.  I believe that all of this suffering is not for nothing, and it has created a unique purpose in my life.  One day when I cease to exist in this world, a part of me will live on in an existence that entails no pain at all.  An existence where the meaning to our race's existence in this universe will finally be completely understood.