MELİKE ALTINIŞIK

Dear Cosmos,

A few million years must have passed since we got acquainted. Who knows, we were possibly wandering around as molecules in some unknown energy form.
Compared to you, we’re merely novices around here. A few million years must be like the blink of an eye for you.
For you to still have faith in us seems like a sublime miracle to me – especially when you consider our confusion, our inability to comprehend and the way we plunder our resources. Nitrogen in our DNA, calcium in our teeth, iron in our blood… It seems like you hand-picked collapsed stars, ground them up and skillfully created “humans” with the dust that remained. Actually, we’re nothing more than stardust. A fact we tend to forget too often. Forgive us. We’re usually lost in our own deep thoughts. Time consumes us. Yet, you’re a constant reminder that nothing is a coincidence in life. You’re the order. You’re the system. You’re harmony. You’re everywhere for those who know where to look, what to see and read … The result of every equation, the answer to every question. You’re the light in the middle of darkness, tranquility amidst chaos…

An author would see you in the space between two words, in the equilibrium of a sentence. An artist would talk about embracing you at that magical moment when colors mix.
As for us architects…
You must know astronomer and astrobiologist Carl Edward Sagan. I bet he pestered you back in the day… but rest assured, he just wanted to get to know you better and be able to help us get a deeper understanding of you and ourselves. My eyes light up when I remember this quote of his: “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” And suddenly, I start seeing nature more mathematically. With the basic numeric skills taught at primary school, I witness how you preserve your system to ensure your survival, how you also improve and rejuvenate yourself. You also teach me how to be constructive, be content and develop systems based on needs that use available resources. Carl’s student Neil deGrasse Tyson once said, “You realize when you know how to think, it empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think.” I’m sure you know him as well. A large man with a childish face. You provide us with paths of thought whenever you see us in trouble. What else could you be doing for us?

I’m grateful to you…
For being the architect of nature, mathematics, and all other scientific realms…
For generously presenting that magical chaos within you…
For letting us play in your backyard…
For elusively leaving clues right before our eyes even when we haven’t any idea about where to begin.

Warm regards,