At the heart of these discussions is how, or rather why, something new can appear which was not there before. Beyond mere modification, both living and non-living matter morph into various forms, into each other, to an extent which even today frustrates human understanding and, sometimes, classification. Processes shape this behavior, but do they determine it? Mechanics neatly fit into formulae, but do they absolutely govern?

All aspirations concerning what is possible must rest upon a deeper aspiration: that anything is possible in the first place. That our actions have consequences in and of themselves, not subject to capricious forces outside our control. That we are a player among players with respect to our own fates. Since these hopes are by no means certain, and the truth may be darker, against the risk of temptation our task carries with it a permanent difficulty. But if this is what we believe, then we must believe it. Like anything else, good can emerge, too, ex nihilo. Redemption and forgiveness are achievable within each one of us until the very last moment. We are human, nothing that is human is alien to us.

The element of surprise belongs only to those who have faith in it. What is ugly is predictable but never what is beautiful, what swells eyes and hearts and leads people fearlessly into tomorrow. So, that choice few cultivate and patiently wait and patiently wait until the fruits of their labour finally reveals itself. What it will grow to be cannot yet be seen; their fingerprints are nonetheless visible. None of the past was destined, nor is the present — beware those who seek absolution without repentance.

I swirl my coffee knowing little, not how a seed becomes a tree, not how a child becomes an adult, not how a Big Bang becomes a Universe. I do know, however, that once such energies are set in motion, what happens next is anyone's guess. For example, scribbles appear on this page which were not there before. They obey familiar semiotic processes and mechanics, as written words tend to do, but I wonder, as auspiciously as ever, whether their exact content could've ever been foreseen: by God, the laws of physics, or even by me.