We Are All Chemical Substance

I read an entry about people feeling horrified about changes in the people they know. It was a refreshing piece to read, yes.

In brief, my old schoolmate that is Keown discussed about imperfection in people and how they change and that others must accept that change if they are for the better. I agree with him.

Chemical Properties
For me, I see our life as chemistry (okay, honestly I have a fetish for chemistry especially organic chemistry but because I'm baaad with numbers, I chose language instead). We humans can be seen as chemical substances. We are all made up of different elements (read: values and qualities) such as those enlisted in the periodic table and these define us and our identity. What elements we have determines our properties (read: character/identity/personality). Based on our properties, we may be viewed to be as strong and ductile as aurum/gold (Au), or as unstable as ozone (O3) but that is not completely and utterly valid. Why? Because like chemical substances, we undergo changes.

Chemical Reaction
We change when we cross path with other people, just like chemical substances that react in the presence of other substances. For example, a person who didn't trust anyone else before may change when he/she met a compassionate giver who readily sacrifices his/her fortune to the former. The result? Both persons become (read: change into) contented human beings. It's almost the same thing with chemical substances. When the harmful chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) molecule meets a giving ozone (O3) molecule, they'll react and turn into carbon dioxide (CO2, an important gas for photosynthesis), fluorine (F) and oxygen (O2, an important gas for respiration). Okay, the examples I gave is for a positive change. It can go the other way around too: a change from good to bad, but I'm not gonna elaborate on that.

You see, chemical substances also change when they don't encounter another substance. Still, they undergo oxidation, reduction, dissociation, neutralization, and rearrangement in different environments. Aren't we all the same? Let me use a fixed context on different people - Gaza occupation by Israelis. A pro-war such as G.W. Bush undergoes oxidation: They become more contented with the occupation. An anti-war such as humanists undergoes reduction: Wars make them unhappy. Even these people can undergo neutralization (have neutral opinion), dissociation (keep away) and rearrangement (thinking over one's opinion) in different situations or environments that challenge their view.

That Thing Called Nucleus
So you see, by each minute, by each second, we actually change. Sometimes we want to change. Sometimes we have to change. Sometimes we don't even realise we change. So, do change really matters? Yes, it does. It keeps the balance in order. But you see, no matter how much a substance changed after undergone a reaction, it still has that thing inside called "nucleus". A nucleus consists of a set number of protons, neutrons and electrons; and is the center of an atom or molecule. No matter how much physical changes an atom or molecule (substance) has undergone, there is one fact about the nucleus that never changed: Its ability to share, to give and to receive electrons. Just like a human's core: The heart. No matter how much changes a human being has undergone, his/her heart will never lose the ability to share, give and receive love.

That is why we should not feel horrified with changes in the people we know. Simply because. We also change. Rather than feeling horrified with the changes (especially the positive ones), why not change ourselves to suit the person? It is all about acceptance. If only we know and realise that our heart never lose the ability to love despite the changes, I believe we can all accept one another.


Note: There might be some chemistry misconception and whatnot because I wrote this entry solely based on the remnants of the chemistry knowledge I learnt back at school and KMPk. I still held them dear in my heart because I know that God wants to show us something of His Knowledge from our own surroundings. Glory be to Allah - the Almighty, the All-Knowing.