I realized after reading the book “The Swarm” by Frank Schlatzing, that I am so self-centered. The only reason I don’t freak out when I say that is that I don’t think I’m alone. I think about myself 24/7.
The book is pretty gripping as it describes the discovery of single celled amoeba that together has from the dawn of time had a high level of intelligence and is now deciding to take action against humans who have been polluting the seas. It is a thriller, but it also gets the point across that we as humans think we are the only ones here. The cells had a memory of millions of years, and I have a hard time seeing the consequence of a day’s worth of my consuming and waste. If I had a larger view of how I fit in the whole, I might be more careful.
Lying in bed this morning my puppy was curled up next to me. I scratched her tummy. She obliged me by exposing more of her tummy. I rested my hand on her chest and felt her very tiny heart pumping blood through her body to keep her alive. It made me think of all the systems that keep us running. I rarely think about the consequences of one or more of them failing.
The book is a good read. It made me stop and think about something other than myself. It lasted for at least a couple minutes…just before I cruised into the kitchen to see what there was that I could eat.
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