So, what of it's origin...?
A Chemistry Lesson
In my organic chemistry classes at college, I was introduced to a very strange molecule that, later, redefined how I dealt with my seemingly conflicting interests in art and science. As an fine art student studying biology, the tale of this chemical gave me an interesting perspective on people and the importance of personal struggles...
For those of you who never heard of them, zwitterions are electron-neutral molecules that hold both a positive and negative charge, and thus act as both an acid and a base. Though they are wildly useful and found in an incredible amount of biologically critical processes (proteins, anyone?), the presence of two opposite charges so close together moreorless keeps zwitterions constantly reacting with themselves—resulting in spastic little molecules thatplay quite a role in cellular life, and therefore, life on a more macroscale level...
I was suddenly struck with an hilarious insight. How funny that—if we could whittle it all down to our very core—even the most basic pieces of ourselves are constantly fighting internal battles. The very smallest parts of ourselves are made naturally to individually struggle all the time, and though things can be rough—and at times, self-destructive—life is ultimately electrically neutral—good, chaotic, and perfect.How relieving it was to realize that one's personal struggles were not so much a single obstacle, but a healthy and lifelong fact—that everything in this world, big or small, has its positive and negative charges. Good, bad; fair, unfair; ying, yang; positive and negative karma—I realized an age old lesson that one must embrace the fact that both must exist. Now I have redefined my life to unify two seemingly contrasting passions into something that is truthful and unique.
So, with that, welcome to my first attempt at this unusual union—to a blog that seeks to observe life through both art and science. Welcome to a blog about opposites and similarities. Welcome, to a blog about zwitterions, and our endless encounter with the entropies of the world…
