How Everything Works Together

    I have been studying off and on for the Praxis teaching exams for the past couple of weeks. Tonight I was looking over some practice science questions, when one of the questions really spoke to me. It was one of those questions that are easy to get wrong if you answer it too quickly, and I actually did get it wrong for basically that reason. I was looking for a more obvious answer. The questions were multiple choice, and this question was related to ecosystems. The question wanted to know in order for an ecosystem to remain in balance what would be the most important factor. The possible answers included food, consistent weather, reproduction, and interaction of species.


    My eyes went to the most obvious answer. The answer had to be food. Every living thing needs some form of food to survive, so that had to be the answer. Of course consistent weather and reproduction are also very important. The funny thing is, the correct answer, was actually the answer I thought was least important. The answer was interaction of species. At first I was surprised, but then I started to think why I would be surprised. I think the reason I thought this was the least likely answer is partially because it is something that occurs so frequently that we take it for granted and don’t even think about it.

    When I started to think more about the answer, I realized this was so much more than just a science question while studying for the Praxis exam. This goes down to the heart of human existence and the existence of the universe. Not only do we need to interact within our own species and with other species, but this is vital to our existence. It is easy to think that food or even water (though that was not a possible answer) is vital to our existence, which of course it is necessary, but think of all that needs to be present in order for us to even get food or water. If every species on this plant never interacted in some way with each other, the life cycle could not exist. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Walt Whitman, "All that a person does or thinks is of consequence." Essentially, every interaction is of consequence. Even the smallest interactions among species are of consequence and are needed.

    I think as modern life gets more and more away from its simpler roots, people think less and less about nature and the environment around them, and spend more and more time on the computer, it is easy to lose track of the beauty of the world, the intricate design of the universe, and how all these small pieces come together to make everything continue. It really is an amazing occurrence to just be alive. Many things had to happen in just a certain way for life to exist, and they did. This is something that I think I should take more time to appreciate. To appreciate just the little things, which make such a huge impact.