Gratitude #3 – Air, to breath
Today I was thinking about things we take for granted. One of the most obvious is air. I am grateful to live on a planet with abundant oxygen to breathe. A necessity for life, free for the taking. In general, here on earth we live in a corner of the universe where our basic needs are plentiful. The more basic the need, the more plentiful it is. Without air we would die within minutes. With fresh water and food less frequently needed (and correspondingly less freely available), but still, generally, plentiful. I remember a story I read many years ago which noted that, for a moon colony this isn’t something you could take for granted, and the poor would literally not be allowed to breathe.
(I am also grateful not to live in a place or time where these needs are being privated by human foolishness, corruption and cruelty).
Reflecting on what I know of biology and chemistry, I appreciate how this oxygen is actually useful for me (instead of poison) and provides the high energy needed for all of my activity. (With the systemic complexity of the respiratory system perhaps a worthy object for a future day’s gratitude reflection).
Beyond keeping me alive, breathe can also keep me focused and present. As an object of meditation, the feeling of the air entering and leaving my mouth, throat and chest keeps me grounded and awake. Living a human, conscious life, beyond the biological life it is constantly maintaining,