Photosynthesis

"I'm happy and I'm settled in the person I've become..."

I found this video when I was looking up Photosynthesis lectures for General Bio on YouTube. I find it interesting that he refers to a song about growing up as photosynthesis and it got me thinking about the metaphor.

In photosynthesis, plants take our waste (and light energy) to produce or synthesize Oxygen and Glucose (chemical energy). Plants take our byproducts to produce elements and molecules that are vital to our survival and development. This can symbolize life to an extent. I often think about all the awful experiences we as human beings have to endure. Life is not easy and human beings can be cruel. However, if it wasn't for the awful experiences none of us would be who we are today. I once read a study stating that people who have experienced loss, or hardships are more likely to be happier than people who have not. Reason being, you learn to appreciate what is important. It's in times of turmoil and hardship that we grow as individuals. If I had a perfect childhood I don't think I would have had the motivation to work as hard as I have to reach my goals. Most people who accomplish great things in this life have not had it easy. It's through the taking in of such negative byproducts that we as human beings are able to produce something great. They allow us to grow into our full potential, and in a sense photosynthesize. However, instead of taking light energy and converting it to chemical energy we take negative energy and convert it into productive, positive energy.