The Miracle of your life

Sometimes, in the everyday hustle-bustle of being, it’s easy to forget you are living a miracle. Consider this Earth, our unique home bearing life, came into being 4.5 billion years ago. This lonely young planet somehow survived a hail of hostile meteors and 3.5 billion years ago, its temperatures started resembling a familiar range. This wasn’t happenstance.



Massive processes a global carbon cycle, oxygen production by cyanobacteria and then plants, tectonic plates, pulled and pushed by gravity and heat shaped its life. About 500 million years ago, the first fish-like vertebrates were born 450 million years ago, anthropods moved onto land, evolving into spiders and mites. Plants emerged 420 million years ago and 130 million years ago, forests, flowers and dinosaurs dotted our world.





Earth never had it easy though. A massive asteroid hit 65 million years ago, wiping out much of early life. An ice age also harshly culled species. Yet, Earth survived and evolved and about five million years ago, the first human appeared. Modern humans came 1,30,000 years ago 70,000 years later, the first cave paintings were drawn, showing our wonder at this life. From there, it was an infant’s step in planetary time that you, dear reader, made your home here.



Knowing this history is vital for our actions now are impacting many processes that underpin life. As we use fossil fuels and increase carbon emissions, we are tearing at intricate elemental balances. We rip up forests, where every leaf produces the oxygen in Earth’s air. We pollute seas, quarry rocks and thaw permafrost although these are repositories of ancient carbon. And we rampage through habitats of species which engineer the very crops we need.

Humanity’s fog of ignorance threatens the universe’s grandest project, endangering our lives. However, as Times Evoke’s global experts emphasise, solutions are possible. Knowledge is vital a deeper aware- ness of its epic can help us develop greater regard for Earth’s life. The UN lists quality education for all as a Sustainable Development Goal. Increasing our knowledge of Earth should be part of this aim. Join Times Evoke in exploring and valuing crucial facets of your amazing life.