a snowflake for a diamond

"The white veil surrounds the nightly darkness

Pouring down from the hidden sky

A layer of innocence strewn across the earth

Silently it sits, waiting to be adorned

By the iris prism of our eyes."

Whoever has ever seen a snowflake cannot deny that it is a tiny miracle. The delicate and intricate details of this minute structure are a marvel of nature. What’s even more amazing is the way in which snowflakes connect with other snowflakes. The way they form a cluster…and simply stick together like glue, say for example when you make a snowball, and then separate again, after you have thrown it at a hard surface…it is utterly fascinating.

Once again, I found myself driving through the fields on a cold morning. The sun was just rising when I glanced to the side where the shining rays were meeting the snowy fields. And the sight of that special meeting between sun and snow (which in itself is slightly paradoxical, because sun ought to melt snow) is like seeing a heap of diamonds in one place. Nature’s treasure can be so simple and yet so beautiful.

This quality of a material showing different colours in different light is called ‘iridescence’. This phenomenon is found in many animals (especially the wings of butterflies, ravens or peacocks). The word derives from the Greek ‘iris’, meaning rainbow, which in turn comes from the goddess Iris. So, when we look at a snowflake, one could say one is looking at a microscopic rainbow, because it contains all the same colours.

Just like a human being’s eyes, every snowflake is unique and has its own life. Especially in this Christmas season, I wonder whether we, the little men, actually realize our potential to stand out and make our unique voices heard and use our unique abilities and talents. Something as tiny as a snowflake has the quality to unite with other snowflakes and become a powerful mass. Just look at the devastating effect of an avalanche.

Another remarkable creature I came across is the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis nutricula), which cannot die. It is believed to be the first and only immortal organism in the world. There is a Japanese scientist, Shin Kubuto, who cares for the world’s only captive population of these “Benjamin Button” jellyfish. Well, they aren’t jellyfish, but rather hydrozoans. What is so incredible is that these creatures could lead humans to achieving immortality. However, Shin Kubuto, in a New York Times interview, said that “Human beings are so intelligent. Before we achieve immortality, we must evolve first. The heart is not good.”

This got me thinking. Apparently there is a shocking genetic similarity between the jellyfish and human beings. Yet, they have no brain and no heart. It makes you wonder whether we were created to spend our lives connecting those two organs with each…to form a distinct triangular relationship with our soul. We live under a tripartite regime: the physical, the emotional and the spiritual. Of course, one could also add the mental.

In a way, we already contain immortality in that our uniqueness cannot possibly be replicated. It will live on forever, no matter what. Like a snowflake that is created in the skies and sent down to earth to shine like a diamond, we have been assigned with an extraordinary genetic code which isn’t meant to just sit there. Snow was designed to be used…to make snow-angels in, to build snowmen (or women), to ski on, to have snowball fights…to be creative with…

Creation indeed was created to be creative. And as the end of the year draws near and we face 2013, we should be inclined to use our creativity and our unique abilities to add our flavour to the revolution of life. Revolution in that sense is the repetition of a life cycle, in which one does better than before. We are ever-changing and ever-developing. Our heart can grow, our mind can expand and our soul can shine brighter…and one day it will be as bright as a snowflake touching someone else’s life.

We are our own revolution!

Let us not give up on the best person we were designed to be.