Breathing

The ocean is our place of origin—its easy to feel at home by the sea.

by Takuma Ono

The union of oxygen and life predates human species by billions of years; breathing, connects us with all forms of life found on earth.

Oxygen-breathing organisms emerged 3.5 billion years ago, starting with a single-celled oceanic organism (microbe) that developed the ability to pull oxygen out of its environment.

Around 3.1 billion years ago, single-celled microbes that respire oxygen in the process of generating energy flourished—and around 2.4 billion years ago, the earth’s atmosphere began to fill with oxygen.

The origin of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of mammalian cells, begins around 1.45 billion years ago, long before the arrival of the human species; the mitochondria story begins with an oxygen-respiring single-celled microbe merging with a eukaryotic cell. It is a story of symbiosis in which two different organisms came together—and through a mutually beneficial union—make oxygen the single most vital nutrient to mammals.

Currently, single-celled oceanic plankton produce more than half of Earth’s oxygen—half! To this day, the union between humans and the ocean is inseparable—and the web of life is indisputable.

Read my blog post on the seascapes and why I think they are so foundational to zen garden design here.

Read my blog post on framing and how it influences perception here.