Differences?

It is a gloomy Saturday. Gloomy describes not only the weather pattern, but also how my mind state behaves now. This is the time, where most of your friends are out having fun somewhere. This is the time when you do not know what to feel. Most of all, this is the time when a collection of thoughts pours in. 

Maybe i am just a little tired from the journey. The journey everyone takes as long as their still breathing, only to be cut short by subconsciousness or when they surrender to the deep slumbers. This tiredness does not allow me to rest easier, sleep easier or to reach the clutch of Morpheus any faster. Instead, this tiredness have kept my eyes open wide and staring into spaces while the circuits in my mind keep running wild. 

i have thought many times after each encounter with this sort of state. And each time thinking, never it fails that the sense of guilt flows into every pore of my body. The time, for work, for improvement, for sharpening any rough ages around me and for finishing whatever i am supposed to is right here. The time needed for all these is here, but... i just don't feel like doing it. So i guess i accept it as a part of me, please forgive me. 

Somehow it feels weird, the time used for all these useless thoughts are like credits which takes me back to time where i stood before. It conjures images of what my eyes has set upon before at same time thoughts just flash through like they were just moments ago. All these for something to ask myself, what is the question this time? This time, same process and the same "ritual" but a different question when the clock ticks 4.47pm, which is "why my mind is so complicated?"

Weird and bizarre questions that came up into my mind during those rituals are: "why am i born?", "what is my purpose in this world?", "Why can't we all be the same?", "why am i me when i am not somebody" which leads to "if i am somebody will i think that why am i me when i am not somebody?", "Who is the creator of God?", " why am i so different?", "when is my death?". And if these rituals bring me back to times where i am with people that i do not feel comfortable with, another set of questions pop in. "Why are they enjoying themselves?", "Why am i here?", "What drives them and me?", "why do they even bother praying?", "why are they even born?".Of course there are also questions that are not concrete therefore unable to be describe using words, but it often it leaves bigger effect than those describable ones. 

i lost count on all these questions, but i am sure there are a lot more, because this rituals begun ever since i am just a little boy, i could hardly remember most of it. The only similar patterns that i notice about these rituals is that all the time it happens is when the sky is dark and gloomy or when there are sound of waves in the ocean. It is like i feel like something of a bigger entity is trying to speak to me, but i only get frustrated that it leaves me only a void at the end.

  

The world we live in

Many years of living,our thinking takes it's form.Be it twisted, straight, narrow, broad, long, short, positive or negative, we still breath as long as our bodies are all intact and well. However, how many people truly live their lives?You are breathing means you are living?You are eating means you are living?How bout sleeping?How bout shitting(defecating...erm...manners manners..)?Hahahaha!Yes you may argue with it. But what i meant has a total different dimension to it, it has to do with feelings. These feelings are about your nature, sense of belonging, sense of that you truly see, hear, touch, feel and taste this world. I believe at this point, many would give up reading this "blog" because they do not like the feeling of being lectured around.

The world is round!(YES!We freaking know that!!) But how many actually thinks it has to do with so many things this world have for us?Creating an endless horizon linking everything up together. We are small, the world revolves around us, so it seems... i think it is otherwise. You see, everything is a system?System is a collection of energy. What energy does? Seek balance and stability. An atom i would say is the smallest scale of an example that i know which would provide insight on a system. Like i said, they seek balance and stability, it is their nature. Remember those days we studied chemistry? Just a simple one, i promise, not too deep. Remember atoms having electrons? The number of electron which takes part in any process is called the electron valence(should be right). Some atoms are stable to begin with, like the inert gases we know, helium, neon, argon, xenon...bla bla bla. However most are not. By many means, they still have to seek stability. Remember ionic bond and covalence bond? Through those processes they form a stable molecules. To make my argument more robust, i have to say some atoms or molecule even 'rot' or decay to reach a more stable form. Which would go that far? The answer is the radioactive atoms and molecules. Thus far, i know you guys wonder why i want to talk about chemistry, i guess half of those reading had already seen my point.

*TAKE A DEEP BREATH, BREATH SLOWLY, DON'T FAINT.....

Okay, i will continue here. Where are we? Oh ya... the system thingy. As i said before about systems, they seek stability. Atoms are a small system with it's own characteristics. Atoms then form molecules hence bigger system, again more characteristics stacks up. Molecules form even bigger system(s), this time with MORE ATTITUDE and MORE CHARACTERISTICS! As more characteristic builds up and more attitude of it's own, it begins to live! Take viruses for example! The border between a living thing and something abiotic!They do not eat, breath and shit(defecate...eckhem) but they do replicate?how U explain that? REPLICATION is a prerequisite which defines THE LIVING along with eating, breathing and defecating (*in whisper :shitting). Hahaha, the link is here! Viruses are at the border between two categories of systems. Draw a line where viruses are, on the left are non living things whereas on the right are living things. What separates these two sides by this thin line (THICK LINE, i know some rather draw it thicker due to personal preferences and personality issues) are the ATTITUDES and CHARACTERISTICS. If the attitudes and characteristics are just too few, they are classified as non living things. However if enough attitude and characteristics pile up, the system begins to show signs of life!ITS ALIVE!ITS ALIVE!They start to be able to maintain energy through eating and breathing or by other means, maintain system by eliminating waste (similar to defecating). Ever wonder why some living things gain energy from breaking or forming up chemicals (chemosynthesis), from sunlight, from consuming other things and etc... All of these are ways how a system gains energy to maintain the system thus stabilizing itself. It is just by different ways or means.

Below is an example of a virus:

A prokaryote cell:

A eukaryote cell:

Back to the part where i said "ITS ALIVE X2"... From there you find bigger organisms (systems). Bacterias are next in line, the prokaryotes, the eukaryotes and later on many. They are all cells anyway, just like any in our body, they are cells. As the system gains more attitude and characteristic, there you go!Valla!You have an ant (mind you, ants form bigger system by having colonies)!!Fly perhaps!!Try a gnat!How bout a flea? (Whichever you like, just make sure it's not too big yet) So what is next?! Perhaps bigger stuff, and if you go further and further, eventually you get humans, apes, whales and etc etc. Congratulations upon reaching this point! 

*Inhale more, i can see most of you have turned purple (if not green)

Many of you believe after those long winded talk, you have seen it all. But i can assure you, it is just the beginning! True enough, you may get a living individual. But nothing is perfect, flawed are they. They need many things to gain the best stability they can. The question is HOWWW????!!!! Hohoho! This process goes on all over the world, maybe over galaxies and galaxies. These process, you name it! Symbiotic, mutualistic, parasitic and many other forms of relationship. 

Here are the examples: 

1. Some goby fishes live together with the pistol shrimp. The goby looks out for danger for having better eye sight, the shrimp provides protection and food.

2. Cuckoo bird lays it's eggs into other birds' nest, making other birds raise their chicks for them.

3. A baby rhino helps mama rhino look out for danger because mama has poor eyesight.

4. Hermit crabs attaches anemone to it's shell for protection. In return, the anemone gains some scrap of food when the hermit crabs eats.

5. Algae grows on furs of some animals like the sloth so they can gain transport and nourishment.

6. Some animals clean up other animals while gaining food and nourishment during the process.Cleaner birds, shrimps and many others.

7. Some plants creep up to other plants to seek more sunlight.

8. Badgers and jackals hunt together. Badger digs, jackal stays out to deal the death blow.

9. A colony of ant can have many different species of ants and even other kinds of organism living together, providing food, protection and even guarding the ant's larvae.

10. Leaf cutter ants grow their own farm of fungus which would feed them later on.

11. The list ends here, there could be thousands i could list on. i hope that i got you excited enough to find out more!

Goby with Pistol Shrimp:

Jackal:

Badgers:

Leaf cutter ants:

Hermit crab with anemone:

*You reached here? well it is like climbing Mt Everest's navel!congratulations! But our quest still have a long way to go.

So...we have seen how systems come in many forms. Gaining stability by themselves or with the help of others. So now, let's look into us (HUMANS a.k.a HOMO SAPIENS!!) We humans have senses, emotions and feelings. We are systems, just very complex like many others. What does stability has to do with this? Here is the list so i can convince you:

1. When you need energy. You will feel hungry and EAT!

2. When you touch something hot which burns, your body will let you know to retract your hand. This is to make sure you do not take any further damage.

3. When you need more water, your body tells you that you need to drink by making you feel thirsty.

4. When your bowels are full, your body will tell you, you need to shit!i think i do not need to elaborate on how it feels.hehehe!

5. When we are sad, we need comfort. We may watch something, play games, exercise and etc etc...as long as we feel better afterwards.

6. When we are angry, is because something has in come in our way and we are not comfortable with it. So by feeling angry, it will propel us to do something about it.

7. The list can go forever, i believe many of you can experience the rest for yourself whether all these are part of your system.

Back to animals except humans (humans are classified as animals too, but many refuse to accept this), plants and other living things. We had seen many so far. i congratulate anyone of you who managed to read this far. But bare with me, there is still one final part. Yeap, you did not hear me wrong! ONE FINAL PART!

Animals and other forms of life are all over the world. The world is so big, a system which carries countless systems within itself. You will find varieties everywhere in the world. What are they? Ecosystems. The ecosystem has many systems within it, formed by produces and users each filling a specific niche. Each gaining energy by making it's own food or consuming other beings. Over the world, we can find many different organism filling up the role for each niche like we humans do by having different jobs, occupations and society status. Here are the examples:

1. Koala, Proboscis monkey and sloth eats poisonous leafs which are not edible to other animals. Each have stomach filled with bacterias which help them break down the leafs. The difference is where they live. Koalas in Australia, proboscis monkeys in Borneo and sloth and sloths mainly South America. 

2. Woodpeckers are birds who peck trees to make nest and also find insect larvae and grubs. In Madagascar, the aye-aye takes the same role as the woodpecker. The ring fingers of the aye-aye are elongated and long, they use it to tap wood and pull out larvae and grubs in trees. So why are two very different animals doing the same thing?

3. Swift and swallows are both very different animals! Why do they have almost the same morphology? convergence evolution which makes them fit their surroundings thus giving them similar physics.

4. Galapagos and Hawaii both are isolated islands. Finch is a type of bird which are found in both places. However both areas do not have common species. Through evolution, some finches develop to take the role of the woodpecker by using cactus thorns or anything sharp. Both islands, you can find finches that eat berries, seeds and etc. 

5. In Galapagos, a type of finch sucks blood just like the vampire bat.

6. There are many, i could only list out few most easy and obvious examples. So i'll stop here.

Koala:

Proboscis monkey:

Sloth:

Woodpecker:

Aye-aye:

Fingers of the aye-aye:

A regular finch,most finch have more or less the same look:

Swift:

Swallow:

As we all can see, all that i have said are about how wonderful the world is. How you may perceive it, is up to you. But i would like to prove my point when i say Science is Just Like A Language of the World. From the traits of living things over the world, they can tell you how the world is. How cold, how hot, how wet, how dry, how is the terrain and etc etc. Everything goes down to energy, the basis of any systems! The world is beautiful and wonderful, many chose to live without seeing the rest (sad case), some had no choice (illness or something pitiable), some have the choice but chose to be ignorant about it and some wants to LIVE and have our sense poured into it!

Thanks for reading!Please treasure your lives, many things await!