How unlikely is our existence?
In this solar system, galaxy, universe
That we came together, formed in just this way.
Anything could have happened. Could have gone wrong. Evolution could have given us the head of a zebra and the tail of a beaver.
The Platypus (platypi?) could have formed the first communities, cities, religions.
And yet here we are.
And we think. Critically and logically. Creatively and abstractly. Sometimes we overthink. Or think ourselves into spirals that lead us down
down
down
into the blackest pit of despair.
But still, anything could have happened. We could have gotten the gift of bipedal locomotion and opposable thumbs and the brain of a single celled organism.
Easy pickings for all those hungry predators
And yet here we are
And we dream. We not only see and comprehend the world around us in all its realistic…splendor. We imagine the world as it could be. We imagine and create.
Buildings
Music
Art
Books
We write. Create entire worlds with the stroke of a pen, or the hammering of a keyboard. Worlds we have never seen with our waking eyes. Worlds that our logical minds tell us are impossible. But still we create them. Still we share them.
We could have been drones without freedom of thought to express what is hiding within us. We could have been a world of people unable to see beyond their little plot of land. Never wondering enough about the world around us to think of looking up at the stars.
And yet here we are
As writers, everyone says the only difference between success and failure is luck, timing, and current trends/perceptions. Oh and talent of course. But talent isnt the biggest factor. And that makes our opposable thumbs twitch and our thinking minds race. We imagine not only how successful we could become but also how hard and far we could fall.
We wonder, is all this insecurity, all this insanity, this constantly shifting sand beneath our feet really worth it?
And yet…here we are
Kind of exciting when you think about it 
May 20th, 2008 at 10:50 am
What an interesting and reflective post, R.G.!!! We are here to grow and grow and achieve this growth for our souls and for our future, no?! I love to think everything has a point - including our existence. It’s sheer joy to be here and enjoy the chaos and create even more chaos with our books!! YEY! I love writing . . . and whatever path each one of us takes, I am sure it will eventually take us to where we want to be.
May 20th, 2008 at 10:52 am
And this is why you’re the believer and I’m the skeptic in our relationship.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Love your post. It’s like you are gazing inwardly and outward at the same time.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Red-I couldnt agree more!
Crys-LOL
Gwen-Or just navel gazing lmao
May 20th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Very elegantly put.
I tend to believe every possible outcome HAS occurred, simply not in our own space/time.
When we look at quantum dynamics, at string theory, and other such hypothesis, it would seem to support my own speculations that we are only linear within our own physicality and our preconceived notions of reality.
If we don’t look inside the box, the cat is in flux.
I’ve always been one to lift the lid for a peek inside.
May 20th, 2008 at 11:48 am
This is why I love you CC, you can just drop Schrödinger’s paradox into a conversation without batting an eye. LOL
And I definitely believe what you are saying.
I think this post was about looking toward the positive. Bad things can happen, but when you look at the impossible good things that can come out of odd or random or even uncomfortable occurences, you just have to marvel for a bit. If that makes any sense.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Forget Schrödinger’s cat - I’m just thankful we learned to put peanut butter and chocolate together! How can anything bad happen when that’s around! LOL.
Seriously - very introspective post - I loved it!