Things That Amaze Me

By Charley Hwang

To watch a Hindu devotee carry a ‘kavadi’ is something that amazes me. It is incredible how he can walk around without any apparent harm while his body is skewered with dozen of needles and his cheeks pierced completely through by an iron rod six feet long. What manner of magic or physical phenomenon is this? Modern science and medicine certainly cannot explain this, but that which defines explanation happens before my eyes. I am amazed.

Perhaps modern science and medicine just turn a blind eye to the whole thing and pretend it does not happen, or say it is sheer trickery. I do not know, but I am certainly amazed.

Another thing that amazes me is the night sky. On a clear, moonless night, the night sky is something else to behold. Sparkling stars by the millions fill the black sky above. How in heaven did these stars get to be there? What are they made of and would it not be wonderful if I could travel among them? These are all statements of my wonder with the magnificent universe. Actually, many modern people do not even get a glimpse at the great wonder outside their house at night. They are too busy watching television or doing something else. I never miss a chance to gaze at the natural wonder and feel the amazement within me.

The next thing in my list of amazing things must be the beauty of nature that is around me. How beautiful the birds are that sing outside my window every morning. How warm the sunlight is when it hits my face as I step outside the house. How cool and soothing the rain that falls to make the plants grow and for us to drink. These are amazing things to me. I am not sure how amazing they are to the average person, but as far as I am concerned, their wonders never cease.

The last but not least amazing thing I shall describe here is the human body. I have a human body and it does amazing things. I once tried to balance a doll on its feet and I could not succeed. It suddenly dawned on me at that instant how incredibly sophisticated my body was. I had no trouble standing. In fact, I have no trouble walking, running, jumping and doing all those physical things that I do everyday and pay not even a second thought to. I am amazed by the abilities of my body and the abilities of the other bodies that I see around me. They are fantastic machines.

So it would appear that amazing things are all around us, are us. The fact that we have life and can perceive the things of existence with such clarity is amazing. It is amazing that I am alive at all on this glorious planet which unfortunately is getting into a bad shape because of people who are not amazed by it, who are polluting it and killing it. Ah well, it is not for me to judge them. Perhaps one day, they will see their won amazement with life and desist from destroying our amazing earth.