Absence of the Unknown (poem/random musing)

The greatest gifts to have graced mankind's existence are the intangibles. Without the intangibles, there would be no wonder, no yearning and no hope. Infants would be named after their physical features alone. Symphonies would be forgotten as soon as the audiences left the theatre. Philosophers would chase after each other in ever-shrinking circles. All our euphoric dreams and restless nights of doubt would be trapped as words in the horizontal bars of aging papers. Dead as soon as the pen strikes the page. Lifeless birds with mangled wings, enclosed by steel cages.

Thank God for the intangibles. They pass through us like phantoms, leaving behind moments of transcendence that fade before we're given a chance to interpret them. They're unknowns that make themselves known to us in every waking second. The rays of light that seep through our blinds each morning and dance through our rooms, shimmering off any reflective surface. The healing power of a mere smile or cool breeze. The multitude of scents, colors, particles and emotions that compose our realities - all too minute to notice, but too crucial to live without.

Take a look at the universe tonight. A canopy of stars and galaxies and supernovas never to be touched by man, no matter what incredible scientific advances may come. What lies beyond this eternity? Obviously an eternity more of eternities. Our existence is a haven of consciousness in a sea of dead matter; a flash of cerebral activity that only lasts for a millisecond. Our breaths are made consequential and significant by this eternity of eternities. As significant as the universe is vast. What would we be without this intangible?

I don't fear the unknown. I fear a world where skyscrapers mark the boundaries of our minds. I fear a world where the only things that exist are defined in Encyclopedias. I fear a world where there is no hope for restoration in suffering and where the only purpose of each bout of anguish is to trample my body deeper into the ground. I fear the absence of the unknown.