Book 123 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: Life Goes On!

Book – A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Book Description: In his biggest book, Bill Bryson confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

Reflection:

On a learning scale of 1-10, this book was a 50!

I probably learned more about science, biology, math, our planet, history, life, and physics than I ever have before in my life on this journey with Bill Bryson. The thing that makes Bill Bryson the best is that he makes learning just so damn fun! I don’t know how he does it, but he can take the driest topics and somehow make it entertaining as hell. It is truly a remarkable talent.

As I was listening to Bill share his version of his short history of nearly everything as he took us from the Big Bang to modern day, I was struck by a profound thought (at least I thought it was profound) about the existence of life in general.

The biggest question that man has been asking since the dawn of time is what of what is the meaning of life? While I certainly don’t know the answer to this question, while I was on this journey with Bill the thought hit me that maybe the meaning of life is just to exist! That’s it…maybe it is just that simple. Life’s goal is just to exist in whatever form it can take.

LIFE ALWAYS GOES ON!

“Life” itself is truly remarkable. You seemingly can't depend on a lot in this world, but life moving forward is something you can always bank on. Lifeforms come in all shapes, sizes, chemical make ups, live in different areas, under different conditions, and thrive in unique ecosystems. Each individual life will come and go over time, but somehow this world never stops. No life or lifeform is greater than whole.  

Life itself, however you wish to define it, always finds a way to start anew and try again.

There is something powerful in that thought that gives me hope for the future. I may not be here in 100 years, humans may not be here in a million years, but I’m 100% confident that “Life” will still be here for infinity. For some reason, that thought makes me happy. It makes me feel connected to everything that has come before me, everything that surrounds me now, and everything that will come in the future.

If life can keep going…so can I.

Question: How does all the life in this world inspire you?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson