Page 91 - The Miracle in the Atom

The Second Step On The Path To Matter: Molecules

we hold, squeeze or lift with our hand. In fact, if we could come as close as
possible to the object in our hand, we would be involved in a chemical reac-

tion with that object. In this case, it would be impossible for a human being
or another living being to survive even for a second. The living being would
immediately react with the substance on which he stepped, sat or leaned,
and be transformed into something else.
The final picture that emerges in this situation is extremely remarkable:
we live in a world that is 99.95 % composed of a void filled with atoms con-
37
sisting almost entirely of energy. We actually never touch the things we say,
"we touch and we hold". So, to what extent do we perceive the matter we
see, hear or smell? Are these substances really as we see or hear them? Abso-
lutely not. We had addressed this point when we talked about electrons and
molecules. Remember, it is literally impossible for us to see the matter we be-
lieve to exist and see, because the phenomenon we call seeing comprises cer-
tain images formed in our brain by photons coming from the sun, or from
another light source, hitting the matter, which absorbs a certain portion of
the incoming light, and gives out the rest, which therefore is re-emitted from
the matter and strikes our eyes. That is to say that the matter we see only
consists of the information carried by photons that are reflected to our eye.
So, how much of the data related to matter is conveyed to us by this informa-

tion? We have no proof that the original forms of the matters existing outsi-
de are fully reflected to us.

89