INCIDENTALLY, THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES

What is this thing called life....? At one time we thought of human life as the center of the universe. Some of us tried to imagine it like a dome resting on the back of a cosmic turtle. Others found ever more fanciful images. Today, modern science simply calls it: The biosphere. The global sum of all the ecosystems on earth.

That's what it must look like from the Space Shuttle, and that certainly makes good sense. But what if we push the image further? What if we ask ourselves where each of US fits into this living cosmic organism? Because, after all, there is every good neurobiological reason to conclude that you and I are more than coincidences here. When the finest minds weigh all the incredible odds against human life taking hold on this rock, it's hard not to conclude like award-winning physicist Paul Davies: "We were meant to be here."

OK, push the image one step further.

By every biologically known logic, each of us 6 billion little organisms are somehow a part of this overall organism. Given what we know about organisms, the question must arise: Within this cosmic biosphere, what is each of us doing within our own personal sphere of influence? A fancier way of asking: Are we pulling our own weight in this relentless planetary endeavor to survive out here in all this black threatening space...?

If you're a president, prime minister or pope, the question makes immediate sense. You have enormous power at your fingertips. But what if you're only a parent, a teacher, a salesperson, or a cop; then what? What real influence do you have within this fiercely complex organism?

Wait a minute....! To address that question you first have to delete that ever-popular, cop-out word: "Only." Now what's the answer?