In his 1982 essay, “Can We Know The Universe?” astronomer Carl Sagan wrote, “It is an astonishing fact that there are laws of nature, rules that summarize conveniently- not just qualitatively but quantitatively- how the world works.” (p. 46) There are rules of the universe we can’t change, all we can do is try to understand them. I can look back at different events in my childhood where I unintentionally put myself in danger. Mainly due to the fact I didn’t always comprehend the laws of the universe. Everyone knows that in nature, oxygen is essential to human life. Sounds like common sense but at age 5 my breath had never been interrupted, it was an involuntary action I had never really noticed let alone appreciated. My mother would always warn me to sit when I was eating, something I struggled with constantly. She always worried that I’d choke on my food. Yet, I didn’t care for sitting and eating. I would much rather spend every minute I could playing. Until one day, it happened. A mamón (Spanish lime) got lodged in my throat and suddenly the danger became exceedingly apparent.
My older brother and I played at my grandma’s house all the time, she had so much space for us to run around. On this day the designated game was tag. My grandmother was out so it was only us two and my mom. As usual we stopped to snack throughout the game but this did not mean the game was put on pause. It was a mission to snack while at the same time not getting tagged. The Hispanic fruit mamón grows plentiful in my native country El Salvador, where my grandma’s house is located. She had a tree in her yard that we loved picking from. While I was eating one, my brother managed to sneak up behind me which immediately sent me into a run. The mamón was in my mouth as I ran. Then the next second it wasn’t. It was now in my throat and I immediately stopped running as my breath was cut short. My brother immediately alerted my mother who after her initial panic and shock passed, got me to spit up the fruit. My immature mind did not see the danger in running with food in my mouth and did not see it until it was too late. It wasn’t until I felt my breath stop, my heart bumping in my ears, and all my strength vanishing with each passing second that I noticed my lack of appreciation for the oxygen the world provides.
As humans, we are constantly surrounded by danger. I do not believe it is possible for us to understand all the dangers present throughout our daily lives. As Sagan suggests, the universe is too complex for our minds to fully know and understand it. Even if we did have a thorough understanding of our universe, predicting danger in all circumstances would not be possible. As Sagan points out, “The universe forces those who live in it to understand it” (p. 46) Although there are parts of the universe we know, the other part of understanding the universe is realizing that certain rules the universe provides cannot be changed. In my case, the universe forced me to understand the importance of oxygen and appreciating the air I breathe. Even so, I could still be presented with another choking accident. I can avoid putting myself in harms way but cannot avoid an accident from occurring. With our vast understanding of the role oxygen plays in our lives and how even the smallest block to our trachea could cause great danger, accidents where oxygen is cut out from our lungs can not be avoided. Like predicting something as simple as choking accidents, there are aspects of our universe that can never be completely know. As a result, the natural world exhibits chaos and unpredictability that we cannot guard ourselves against.
