Bodies

I had a stressful day today.

I very nearly caused a horrible accident. No-one was hurt, thank God, but it was close, and I gave myself and several others an awful fright.

Then as I was walking home, I saw a collision between a car and a bike. Again, no-one was hurt, thank God, but the bike was wrecked.

I also have been studying neuro-oncology (i.e., brain tumours), and as I was reading this, I came across this rather shocking quote:

Cellular proliferation is under genetic control, and if somatic mutation creates a variant that proliferates faster, the mutant clone will tend to take over the organism. Thus people have a natural tendency to turn into tumours.

All of this has got me thinking about the fragility of these bodies of ours. I am stunned at how tenuous life is and how utterly dependent I am on the proper functioning and co-operation of billions of cells over which I have no control. I am reminded of how simply and quickly my life - and with it, this thing I call "myself" - could just vanish.