A few weeks ago I presented for class about the evolution of eyes and it really inspired me to think more about this magic gift of sight. (I also love it when I can inspire myself!?) It’s unbelievable, really. The earliest fossil form of an eye was found 500,000,000 (I typed this out so you can fully appreciate how long ago that actually is) on a trilobite. It was more like a “light sensitive spot” that could see light and know where it is without seeing forms. The beauty of these early eyes was that they were made of mineral calcite (the most stable form of calcium carbonate). Another way of putting this might also be that the universe wanted so badly to see it was trying to see through rock.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it…incredible!!?? Our eyes have been the way they are now - aqueous eyes as they are called, being made up of 99% water - for 200,000 years. That’s a lot of change in (you do the math) number of years to go from rock to water eyes!!??
Why do we even have eyes? There are evolutionary advantages to survival and being able to see...If you really think about more philosophically - our eyes allow the universe to see itself. Through us it continues to see the maginificence of its creation. Brian Swimme points to the idea that as the universe is continually evolving, so are we…and therefore our eyes. I like to wonder what it would the future holds for sight? Maybe a full circle of darkness? Or sight through our third eye? Only time will tell and in the meantime allow us access into universal soul.
Today I'm grateful for school, research, and PowerPoints (and apparently being a nerd).
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