All plant life and animal life is contained in basic modular building blocks called cells. Elephants are bigger than mice because they have more tiny cells. The human body is made up of about 30 trillion cells. That’s an estimate. No one has ever counted all the cells in a body, nor will they ever be able to. There are just too many. All we can do is take samples, approximate, and estimate. The body runs all by itself.
Each one of these trillions of cells is a marvel. Each cell is more complex than a jet airliner. Each cell takes care of more functions than we can imagine, and we barely understand how each function operates. Besides all its highly complex internal functions, cells communicate with the cells and chemicals around them in a way that is uncanny. In the blink of an eye, adrenalin can course through our veins and transform cells throughout our body so that we jump into action instantaneously as we react to danger.
We can’t look at our skin and see the cells that make us who we are, but they are there. We can’t use our willpower and change the way a particular cell is operating. They function all by themselves. When cells are damaged, they heal themselves and replace themselves. If we are beautiful or handsome, strong or smart, our cells made us that way, and we can only take credit for having provided a good environment and input. We’re like the cartoon of a person inside a giant robot, because all we can control is the overall movement. Almost everything, like our heartbeat and breathing, is automatic.
Deep within our cells, DNA, RNA, and proteins have everything under control. If we drink toxins, such as alcohol, cells within our liver will counteract our foolishness by breaking them down. If we contract a flu virus, antibodies will fight against them. If we bump our shin, pain will teach us to be more careful. If we forget to eat, hunger will make us think about food. Cells are smart enough to work together to teach us lessons that we’re not smart enough to realize by ourselves.
Thank you, cells, 30 trillion times over.