Thursday, February 4, 2010

Everything is a Miracle

I like to do the cryptoquote in the newspaper each day.  Once I've decoded the letters, I am often rewarded with a thought provoking quote.  Today's quote was especially interesting.

"There are two ways to live:  You can live as if nothing is a miracle: 
You can live as if everything is a miracle."  

Those words were written by Albert Einstein (1879-1955).  After doing a little research, I found the following words which he said to a rabbi in 1929:

"I believe in Spinoza’s God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, 
not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of Mankind."  

After thinking about these two quotes and considering the author, I guess I would conclude that Einstein, who saw and understood the tiniest particles to the largest galaxies, was awed by the majesty and intricacies of our universe just like the rest of us.  Even his vast knowledge could not fully explain the mysteries, but he clearly believed the mysteries did not include a judging, vengeful God.  The majesty and complexity of our world could be summed up in the simplest of words: miracle.

3 comments:

  1. I'm guessing you remember the Einstein quote your brother had on his computer at work. As you know, I've been approaching life as if pretty much everything is a miracle. Nice to read that I have good authority to back me up.

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  2. I love this. I only just realized two years ago that Einstein was a spiritual thinker, too.

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  3. Libby, I definitely remember the wonderful quote Kennan kept on his computer. In fact, I'll never forget seeing it in his office. Kennan certainly saw & appreciated the everyday miracles in his life but also the grander mysteries of the universe.

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