“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious.” – Albert Einstein
We were visiting the Stonehenge in the beautiful English countryside several years ago and while we were there we rented those little headsets you can listen to when taking a self guided tour. As we walked the paths among the ruins of this engineering phenomenon the narrator on the recording described several theories about who might have built Stonehenge in the first place, how they were able to do it, and what purpose it might have served. But since no one is certain about its origin or purpose the narrator would conclude each theory with these words, “. . . but no one knows for sure. It’s a mystery!”
Some things in this world simply cannot be explained. They remain mysteries. It has been almost two years since our two little granddaughters were born. I remember holding each one for the first time and examining their ten little fingers and ten little toes, the features of their eyes, nose, mouth, lips, and hair. Yes, I know babies are born all over the world every day, but these two – well, they’re different you see, for they are my own flesh and blood which makes me much more keenly aware of the miracle of birth, of new life. Recently, having had the opportunity to spend time with both almost-two-year-olds, I was overwhelmed by how much they have developed in a relatively short period of time, toddling around on their two little legs, pronouncing words, and even expressing opinions. How does this happen? Medical science may be able to explain many things about the formation of an embryo in a mother’s womb, the birth of an infant, and the growth and development of a child, but there is much it will never be able to explain. In particular it will never explain the awe and wonder of holding a newborn in our arms for the first time. It’s a mystery.
Einstein may have had one of the most brilliant mathematical and scientific minds of any human in the history of mankind, yet he too was awestruck over the wonder and beauty of the unexplainable. The origin of the Stonehenge remains one of the world’s unexplainable phenomenons. But even more so is new life and new birth, and to witness it is one of the most beautiful experiences we can have. It’s a mystery.