Appreciating the Miracle of Being Born Human

I recently watched an episode of PBS's NOVA celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, and it is truly amazing the discoveries that this technology has brought us regarding the wonders (and size!) of the Universe! 

Watching the episode made me feel so small in comparison to the vast expanse of our Universe, yet so significant knowing that I was born human and am experiencing life - such a rare opportunity!

LIFE! In a Universe where we have yet to find other life outside of our tiny planet, we all were born human - the slim chances of that happening are absolutely unfathomable...

This train of thought also reminded me of the writing of Nichiren Daishonin:

"It is rare to be born a human being. The number of those endowed with human life is as small as the amount of earth one can place on a fingernail."


This episode of NOVA has reminded me of the miracle of life, and renewed my appreciation for how wonderful life is, so I thought I'd share it.

NOVA Episode:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/invisible-universe.html