You and I are made of atoms. On this we can agree. Everything in the universe as we understand it is made of atoms. The same stuff is in everything. It’s just arranged differently. (<— That’s a massive oversimplification to explain away details I don’t fully understand but believe don’t matter for the larger point I’m attempting to make.)
Atoms have been around forever from what scientists can tell. At least as long as the universe. So, in a particularly physical sense, you and I have been around just as long. We just weren’t arranged the way we are today until about however many years ago we were created. Which is a strange thing to consider, I think.
The same things that make mountains make you and me. They make humpback whales. And all other kinds of whales. They make tears. They make pizza. They make fingernails. Everything. I find this strange.
But they don’t make you humble when you stare up at the mountain. And they don’t make you speechless when you witness a whale. They don’t decide if your tears are of joy or of sadness. They can’t love pizza. They don’t paint their nails before a big weekend. Again, strangeness to me.
So, while we’ve been around forever, we really just got here.
And, yes, I find this strange.
