Strangely enough, being humbled is an empowering experience.
When you truly come to see how small, insignificant, and not-the-center-of-the-universe you are, your mind cracks open and your ego retreats like a worm back into its hole. Suddenly, something breathtaking shifts and changes within you, and you go from perceiving life through the limited “me” perspective, to the expanded “we” perspective.
If you want to experience what it’s like to be humbled, read through the following mind-altering crazy facts about life.
15 Crazy Facts About Life (That Will Shift Your Perspective)
I love anything and everything that broadens the mind and reveals just how small, yet infinitely expansive and interconnected we all are. We go about our lives constantly stuck in narrow, self-centric patterns of living often failing to remember just how minuscule and inconsequential our problems are in the “greater scheme of things.” Of course, this is not to say that we don’t suffer or that we shouldn’t try to better our lives; just that life is more enjoyable when we’re aware of the myopic, restricted perception of life the ego creates.
If anything, these absurd, awe-inspiring, crazy facts about life below will show you just how intricate, layered and interrelated all of life is, and the amazing role you play in this huge cosmic dance. These discoveries will also show you just how much you’re truly “unaware” of, and how amazing you truly are:
1. We are made up of around 7 octillion atoms.
That’s 7,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or seven billion billion billion miniscule particles. (Source.)
2. We are literally stardust.
Your body and nearly everything on earth is composed of the residue formed from the cataclysmic explosion of star matter that occurred 13.7 billion years ago.
3. We are 99% empty space.
We are made up of atoms, and only 1% of an atom consists of protons, neutrons and electrons. The other 99% is empty space. In fact, if you were to take away the empty space of every human being on the planet, we would all fit into a sugar cube! (Source.)
4. Our unconscious (not conscious) mind is running the show.
The unconscious mind has been proven to make decisions before we consciously decide anything. This causes us to wonder, if you and I are not consciously responsible for making our decisions … who or what is? And where exactly are our thoughts and choices coming from? (Source.)
5. You only use 10% of your brain. The other 90% is unconscious.
You are only aware of a tiny percentage of what is going on inside of your mind. Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud compared this to an iceberg: only the tip of the iceberg can be seen above water, but below the water looms the rest. Professor of medicine Dr Bruce Lipton compared the mind to a computer: our unconscious mind operates at 40 million bits of data per second, whereas our conscious mind only operates at 40 bits per second. (Source.)
6. Most of the universe is invisible.
27% of the mass of the universe is dark matter, and 68% of the mass of the universe is dark energy. Both dark energy and dark matter are invisible. Only 5% of the universe is normal, observable matter. (Source.)
7. You were once a tiny sperm that triumphed over 250 million other sperms.
“Congratulations! You were the sperm that impregnated your mother!” – said no one ever. But if you think about it … your existence is pretty astounding. You literally won the race of survival and triumphed over millions, even billions of other sperm cells. (Source.)
8. We barely know anything about the ocean.
Only 10% of the ocean has been explored … imagine what shocks, oddities, and wonders the other 90% holds! (Source.)
9. Every 5 seconds …
500,000 chemical reactions have occurred in every single cell of your body; 1.5 people die of starvation; 10,056 pounds of edible food is thrown away in America; the average person in the world makes $0.01; the universe has expanded about 46 miles. (Source.)
10. Time is an unsolvable mystery.
No one can definitively prove when time was created or when it will end. Many people believe that time is a construct of the human mind and is therefore an illusion. (Source.)
11. The universe probably has no end.
Plus, it is expanding rapidly as we speak. NASA scientists confirm that the universe is probably infinite. (Source.)
12. There are most likely thousands of “alien” civilizations out there that we know nothing about.
The odds for intelligent life existing “out there” in space are overwhelming. The universe contains billions of galaxies – and we inhabit just ONE galaxy – therefore, it is extremely likely that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of alien civilizations out there that we know absolutely nothing about. (Source.)
13. According to quantum theory, there is no past, present or future.
Instead, everything – past, present and future – is occurring simultaneously right now. Also, did you know that according to quantum theory, particles can be in two places at once? (Source.)
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14. Our consciousness creates reality.
Numerous scientists and physicists alike have demonstrated that we create reality. In other words, the universe only becomes real when we “look” at it. (Source.)
15. We are all clinging to the surface of a giant rock that is hurtling through space around a massive ball of fire … and we’re still alive.
If that isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is.
You’re welcome to share your own humbling and crazy facts about life below! I wish I could include all the fascinating, mind-blowing, and awe-inspiring discoveries about life here … but I would literally be writing this article for the rest of my life (and the rest of time … if that even exists).
Every 5 seconds, 1.5 PEOPLE die of starvation in the world. Not 1.5 million people.
That has been amended, thank you for pointing it out Ryan!
#11 “NASA scientists confirm that the universe is probably infinite.”
Article linked: “All we can truly conclude is that the Universe is much larger than the volume we can directly observe.”
Inflationary theory currently has no evidence. Looking at the results of the WMAP data through that theory and using it as a definite conclusion is premature. The other discussion in the article is academic, not conclusive.
The article also says, “We now know (as of 2013) that the universe is flat with only a 0.4%
margin of error. This suggests that the Universe is infinite in extent;
however, since the Universe has a finite age, we can only observe a
finite volume of the Universe.” That is why the word “probably” was used, not “definitely.” A more correct term would be “maybe.”
Maybe indeed. You quote right up to that last line, leaving it out.
“We now know (as of 2013) that the universe is flat with only a 0.4%
margin of error. This suggests that the Universe is infinite in extent;
however, since the Universe has a finite age, we can only observe a
finite volume of the Universe. All we can truly conclude is that the
Universe is much larger than the volume we can directly observe.”
A flat universe only implies that the space-time geometry in the finite region is open. Nothing else can be said with any scientific certainty. The other comments are academic, not conclusive. Probably, in a scientific sense, means we have some data to back up our claims, any data. WMAP data simply doesn’t give us this. It simply rules out other theories that suggested more severe space-time geometries in the visible universe.
Yes, it is non-conclusive. But we do know that it is expanding as we speak … how awe-inspiring :)
So, we don’t really know a lot about ocean! In fact, we know nothing! This article reminded me of something I haven’t thought about for a while.
What do you think of the ‘Barmuda Triangle’, Luna?
I would really like to know! :-)
Today I woke up and next to my bed on the floor against my dresser there is a black vinyl folder containing papers I am going to re-read “later’. The last time I touched that folder was around May 18th of this year. Today unceremoniously I woke up very early and there was a paper sticking out of it and I pulled it and read it and it was a response from you to a question I made to you on May, 18th, 2015 about shadow work, which led me to log in back to your website, which led me to this article, which leads me to this observation/question (but before I go on, your writing follows a logic, my myopic, black and white, tunnel vision mind finds hard to argue with and for that I thank you). I never realized how narrow minded I can habitually be, until I started to try to expand my mind, it is just mind blowing to me,this discovery) but back to your post: Perspective fact 4 is what I often find most disturbing about my existence and the whole messed up design that our lives seems to appear to be at my present level of awareness, which as I continue to seek, hoping to become a finder, seems to be a very narrow level of awareness, but I digress as per usual. ” Our unconscious (not conscious ) mind is running the show” …on my path to self discovery , recovery from a lifetime lived in fantasy and projection, what kind of a chance do I have to become an awaken human being, when I! don’t even know what my unconscious mind is cooking? what is the point of it all, if what truly matters is hidden from my conscious view? It seems very unfair to me, that most of the show is happening without my conscious permission, what kind of design it this? by the way these are all humble questions, little by slowly, I am graduating from sarcasm, something I discovered not too long ago was a defense mechanism of my unconscious arsenal.
Thank you Aletheia for your honest,significant and illuminating teachings thru your writings…I’m coming out of a fog of so much pre-menstrual dark thinking and feeling, I won’t even get into it on this post, but suffice it to say, I was not being inspired to read or write anything and this today your post on much needed perspective, got me typing again, and gave me much needed PERSPECTIVE, which I seem to loose often,so once more, Thank you for what you do with this blog. Always looking forward to your replies,
T
The truth is that none of us will ever fully know the entire depth of our unconscious minds, but it is possible to get acquainted with some of what lies deep below the surface of consciousness (say, through sacred shamanic ceremonies involving ayahuasca, hypnotherapy, and so forth). Life goes on and happens without our permission, and that is what we, in the restricted state of our egos, hate so much: it makes us feel insignificant and small. But if, at the end of the day, you realize that you are the Universe experiencing itself, how can you feel fear and not wonder?
Thanks for checking out the article T. It’s great to hear from you again. :)
You always succeed at giving me back the words I didn’t know I needed to hear. My inner journey started a few short 4 years ago…I have ways to go before it becomes part of my conscious awareness that I (low self esteem “I”) am “the Universe experiencing itself” that is just too big for me to comprehend, presently…yet I have been in love with the word Universe for a long, long time, with no explanation as to why?
Once again
Thank you for sharing your level of awareness with the rest of us.
T
whoah! This was rad! It’s obvious alot of work was put forth. Thank you!
There was! Thank you Regina. :D
isn’t #5 a well known myth? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_percent_of_the_brain_myth
It depends on the perspective. We use 100% of our brain, but most of that functioning is unconscious and below our awareness, which is why it is said that we only (consciously) use “10%” of our brain capacity.
Time is Nature’s way of making sure everything doesn’t happen all at once.
I like that angle!
Thank you.
My pleasure!
I believe the know it all at the bottom meant fusion, not fission. Fusion bring atoms together (which is how the sun produces energy) and fission splits them.
So, we don’t really know a lot about ocean! In fact, we know nothing! This article reminded me of something I haven’t thought about for a while.
What do you think of the ‘Barmuda Triangle, Luna?
I would really like to know! :-)
Trying not to sound like a know it all but I would like to point out that the Sun is not a ball of fire. It is powered by nuclear fission. Fire requires oxygen to occur. Still a great article. Keep it up.
I discovered a TED talk by Donald Hoffman last week. He presented a mind-boggling argument about reality, perhaps similar to fact no 14. He argued that space-time is somehow like the interface between our consciousness and reality, as the desktop and icons in our computers. Or something like that because it’s quite an effort for me to summarise what he said :D
I don’t know, but I found it very interesting and I can relate to his opinion in some ways.
Oh and I really like the way you describe no 15, Luna :D
That’s an interesting way to put it. I’ve heard, I think it was Aldous Huxley or someone else, describe our minds as receivers of the consciousness “radiowave” rather than the other way around. There are so many interesting analogies out there, but this one always appealed to me the most for some reason.
Glad you like it. :) And thanks for commenting!
Luna the sun is not just a big ball of fire instead it uses a process called fusion in order to create energy by losing mass(E=mc2).In fusion two nuclei of hydrogen(or other elements)come very close to each other and collide forming a more complicated nucleus of a different element(in the case of hydrogen it creates helium).As you can see this process is a lot different than the process of rapid oxidization of a material in
the exothermic chemical process of combustion(fire).
Thanks for the technical explanation. ;) The last point is a tongue-in-cheek examination of our present-moment reality and is in no way meant to be completely accurate. Although it is pretty amazing that we are revolving around something that has the appearance of a massive ball of fire, suspended in the vastness of a void.
I was thinking …. These things comes in my mind only…….. And i am the center of universe…. I am still right or not …… I am confused….. It means …. We all are limited..
You are limited in the sense that you perceive the world through the ego self (“I am separate from that”), but you are empowered in that beyond that limited self you are the universe (“I am that”). Hope that makes sense.
Whoa, it’s 1.5 people die of starvation, not 1.5 million LOL Cuz that would be mind-altering! But this was a great piece. Even coming from someone as insignificant as I am! <3
Yes … that WOULD be awesome! And very true. :)
I think you read her comment wrong. Your article states that 1.5 million people die of starvation every 5 seconds. Which must be incorrect since if you do the math that would be almost 18 million people per minute or 26 billion people a day, which is nearly quadruple the Earth’s total population
This is an absolutely OUTSTANDING piece, Luna. I’m going to use it on the Harmonic Concordance Blog next month, with your permission of course.
Certainly Johnny, I appreciate you asking. And thank you … it was a lot of work, but worth it!