Admiring the mosaic of particles that is San Jose

I've been contemplating the universe as a vast soup of particles of various compositions. Smell is the simplest way to conceive of this. Smell = molecules from the environment enter our nasal cavity and interact with our olfactory receptors. We literally perceive the environment by touching other free floating particles. It’s but one example of our experience with this particle soup.

The particle soup we call the universe is not a metaphor, it is the physical makeup of reality as we know it. And while the biological evolution of our intelligence might not have optimized for understanding the universe at the smallest level of physics, we are capable of understanding it. On the shoulders of giants, we have developed tools and technology to observe the universe at the most basic level—think Large Hadron Collider, microscopes and telescopes, etc. It's possible for a layperson to review the data, learn the math proving our reality, and even observe it at the basic level firsthand.

Particle exchange through three different organisms

So the concept of particle soup is not simply a paradigm to adopt. It's how our universe exists. We don't yet understand the full physics of how particles of matter interact. And we're even further from comprehending the organic chemistry, the biological implications of how the particles of life work. But today, right now, we are far enough out on the precipice that we can reach forward and conceptualize this mosaic of particles and the symphony their interaction creates. Consider playing a sport with another person. When playing a game of basketball, two people are often touching or up against each other, their molecules colliding. Their sweat rubs against each other. The environment of the gym acts as a somewhat contained system; the materials of the floor and the baskets and the ball and peoples' sneakers are all mixing together. During a simple five on five pickup game, a dynamic interaction of particles occurs between both organic and inorganic materials. Our bodies react to all this. Not only are players weaving through the court within the game, they are weaving through, and exchanging molecules with, the liquid fabric of the universe within the gym. We are simply a collection of particles navigating among other groups.

If we accept the universe is a soup of particles, what does it mean? It enables us to foster a more holistic approach to our life experiences and generate empathy for others. We are part of the universe, and a part of our local environments: the Earth, the continent we reside on, the local city, town or village we inhabit. We truly share these environments with all others who live there, because we exchange particles with them and the environment itself. Anything we emanate into our environment affects all within it. Which means we make our reality together. What kind of universe will we live in?