The Human Element

"For each of us there’s a moment of discovery. We turn a page. We raise a hand. And just then in the flash of a synapse, we learn that life is elemental. And this knowledge changes everything. We look around and see the grandness of the scheme. Sodium bonding with chlorine, carbon bonding with oxygen, hydrogen bonding with oxygen. We see all things connected. We see life unfold. And in the dazzling briliance of this knowledge, we may overlook the element not listed on the chart. It’s importance so obvious its presence is simply understood. The missing element is the human element. And when we add it to the equation the chemistry changes. Every reaction is different. Potassium looks to bond with potential. Metals behave with hardened resolve. And hydrogen and oxygen form desire. The human element is the element of change. It gives us our footing to stand fearlessly and face the future. It is a way of seeing that gives us a way of touching; Issues, ambitions, lives. The human element. Nothing is more fundamental. Nothing more elemental."

I wish I had written that. It's from a new ad for Dow Chemical. You can see the commercial here. For me, it perfectly expressed how we yearn to be part of something greater and that in rare and sometimes simple moments our best shines through.