The word \u2018atom\u2019, as in a Hydrogen atom, was derived from the Greek word \u2018atomos\u2019 meaning \u2018uncuttable.\u2019\u00a0 We once thought the atom was the smallest, most fundamental building block in nature.\u00a0 We drew an atom with a large nucleus and electrons orbiting close by in science textbooks to make it easy for children to understand its basic composition.\u00a0 However, this simplified illustration fails to convey a fundamental feature of atomic reality \u2013 emptiness.<\/p>\n
If you were to take an atom and scale it up to the size of a football stadium, the nucleus would be approximately the size of a grain of sand.\u00a0 The electrons orbiting around it would not be in nice, neat circular structures as depicted in your textbooks, either, but somewhere in the general area around the stadium, and we never know for certain.\u00a0 We can say there is a higher probability that an electron is in a certain area, but atoms also give, take, and share electrons; such behaviors are responsible for many of the functions of the universe as we experience it.<\/p>\n
When I feel overwhelmed, I try to remind myself the entire universe is mostly \u2018empty.\u2019\u00a0 On large scales, what we refer to as \u2018outer space\u2019 is empty in the sense there is very little matter, stuff, on average.\u00a0 A cubic centimeter of water has around 1023<\/sup> atoms, which is a lot of zeros for the mind to wrap its head around.\u00a0 Conversely, outer space has an average matter density of around 2*10-30<\/sup> atoms per cubic centimeter.\u00a0 That\u2019s this – 0.000000000000000000000000000002 ; a very small number.\u00a0 Even within each atom, the distance between the electrons and the nucleus is mostly space.\u00a0 I don’t need to fill the emptiness arbitrarily, especially with stressful energies, any more than I have to know or be in control of every situation.\u00a0 It is ok to have a general sense of things and save the specifics for situations that demand special attention.<\/p>\n Over time, we learned the atom was not, in fact, the smallest, most fundamental building block of the universe.\u00a0 We learned within the proton and neutron there are smaller particles; we call them quarks.\u00a0 We have experimented on quarks quite a bit over the last few decades, and we have yet to find any evidence of anything smaller.\u00a0 In our experiments and in our math, we have learned quarks are never alone.\u00a0 Quarks carry electrical charge, as in positive and negative, as well as what is known as \u2018color\u2019 charge.\u00a0 \u2018Color\u2019 charge is a metaphorical term, not an actual transmission of visible light. Still, nonetheless, we refer to quarks in terms of red, blue, and green, and they always balance each other in both \u2018color\u2019 and electrical charges appropriately.\u00a0 If you try to separate quarks, the energy needed to do so will simply create more quarks! After all, matter and energy are one and the same, as Einstein taught us with E=mc2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n From a Mindfulness perspective, quarks remind me of a comforting thought: we are better together.\u00a0 When we act in harmony with nature, life is better for us all; a rising tide lifts all ships.\u00a0 An ecosystem is at its best when biodiversity is high, and no single species upsets the balance.\u00a0 A similar thought can be applied to human societies: we thrive when opportunity and mobility are high, and the economy and the rule of law work for us all, rather than a select few.<\/p>\n Another fascinating aspect of quarks is found in the mass of a proton.\u00a0 A proton is comprised of 3 quarks: 2 ‘up’ quarks which are positively charged, and 1 ‘down’ quark which is negatively charged.\u00a0 Yes, physicists have given quarks peculiar names, but it works. If we measure the masses of the two ‘up’ Quarks at 2.2 million eV \/ c<\/em>2<\/sup> (each) and the one ‘down’ Quark at 4.7 million eV \/ c<\/em>2<\/sup>, we come up with about 9.1 million eV \/ c<\/em>2<\/sup>.\u00a0 However, the mass of a proton is 938.3 million eV \/ c<\/em>2<\/sup> !\u00a0 The obvious question rapidly becomes, if the mass of the component parts is only about 2%, where does the other 98% come from?\u00a0 The answer is motion.\u00a0 The quarks moving around at incredibly high speeds, quark-antiquark pairs coming and going (always in balance!), and the binding energy (Strong Force) holding them together comprise the overwhelming mass of the proton, and by extension, the universe as a whole.<\/p>\n Thinking about Mindfulness again, it brings me joy to think the mass of everything physical in the universe is mostly binding energy; we are better together.\u00a0 Our relationships are more than just two hearts choosing to be in the same place at any given moment; it is the binding energy of all our memories created over time, and the intent to not just preserve them but to create more.\u00a0 Additionally, on a societal level, we thrive when we balance the needs of now with the sustainability of our descendants’ needs and the biodiversity with whom we share this pale blue dot, when we plant trees under which we will not enjoy the shade, when our binding energy is to the planet as a whole, and not to the quarterly report or to the narrow tribe we can’t see beyond.<\/p>\n In a way, there is something smaller than the quark, the field from which the quark is an excitation thereof.\u00a0 Thinking of electrons and uncertainty again, we know Electromagnetism exists; we can measure it.\u00a0 From the Electromagnetic Field, particles emerge, even if we can’t necessarily be certain when and where.\u00a0 I believe we can think similarly about Hope.\u00a0 I have long contended Hope is our inexhaustible energy source; our mechanism through which we propel ourselves into action.\u00a0 Through Hope, we define meaning and choose when and where to act.\u00a0 Hope can never truly be extinguished; The Hope Field may have fewer excitations but it takes energy, usually external pressure, to suppress The Hope Field.\u00a0 Hope will manifest itself with no other smaller component parts, just as quarks do, and give us cause to try to do and be better.\u00a0 The good news is you’re not alone, and we’re better together.<\/p>\n Lastly, and just as a fun note:\u00a0 quarks behave like a liquid at around 2 trillion degrees Kelvin.\u00a0 For reference, it is only 15 million Kelvin inside our Sun, so we\u2019re talking about temperatures difficult to comprehend.\u00a0 However, even at these temperatures Quarks still interact and pull on one another.\u00a0 So even under pressure, quarks do not give up on one another, and neither should we.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The word \u2018atom\u2019, as in a Hydrogen atom, was derived from the Greek word \u2018atomos\u2019 meaning \u2018uncuttable.\u2019\u00a0 We once thought the atom was the smallest, most fundamental building block in nature.\u00a0 We drew an atom with a large nucleus and electrons orbiting close by in science textbooks to make it easy for children to understand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[340],"class_list":["post-240515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-mindfulness-journey","tag-340"],"yoast_head":"\n