After living for sixteen years, I have come to realize how much I know about the world. That is to say, I know nothing about the world and how it works. However, I still know more about the functions of the world than some. After taking AP Physics, I have gained an insight into how much, not only I, but we know as a species. I was stunned to learn how little we know, and how much. I know how gravity works and how it is related to mass and distance; but I, nor anyone else, can tell you why it works, or what causes it. This pretty much sums up how I feel about life. I can tell you how we live, and how our bodies work, but I cannot tell you why. This is one the greatest mysteries of the universe.

My personal theory on why life exists at all is far less complex than I had imagined it would be. Of course, as I stated earlier I know nothing, so my own opinion may be totally worthless. But since it seems that no one else knows why we exist, I may as well try to explain it. I began to come to my conclusion not long ago, whilst reading A Brief History of Time, by Steven Hawking. At the time, I was studying quantum mechanics (how the smallest things in the universe work, such as protons or neutrons) in physics. We had just had a lesson on the quantum tunneling effect. I won’t get into the specifics, but quantum tunneling works because matter has a wavelength, and because of this, it has the possibility to be anywhere in a certain area, but you won’t know where it is until you measure it. Because of this, and the motion of the particle, there are times where, say an electron (which doesn’t belong in the nucleus of an atom) can bypass the strong force (one of the four fundamental forces) and enter the nucleus. It was then when I realized that the entire universe is built on probability and possibility.

Later in the course we studied entropy, and how everything is continuing to break down. In fact, a current prediction by many physicists is that the universe will break down until it cannot break down any more and all the matter in the universe will be spread out evenly. No stars, no planets, just matter and heat. It then came to my attention that we (human beings) and even our very planet are just places where the destruction of the universe has been put on hold. I think that this is a wonderful thing! Since the universe is based on possibility and the universe wants to break down, our probability of being here must have been very low. Yet, here we are! We even create more places of order that seem to defy entropy. So I began to wonder, how does the universe benefit from us being here? Then I finally understood. We may be natural reductions of entropy, but we destroy more than the little order that we make. So we organize a city or two, that is nothing compared to what we are doing to this planet. Look at the atmosphere! Greenhouse gases and pollutants, not to mention the state of the ocean! Yes, we destroy more than we create; which brings me to the point that we must be here to accelerate the natural rate of entropy. But that isn’t good enough, that we are here to simply destroy everything; for if we were, than we would have done that long ago. Yet we persist as a species, so there must be another reason.

My final conclusion brought together the two biggest ideas that stick out in my mind. We exist because it is possible to exist. Anything that can happen has happened, and will happen again. Therefore, the true reason that life exists at all is a far more benign one that as the destroyers of the universe. We exist because we can, and we live on because we help the universe reach its ultimate goal, to reach perfect harmony with itself.