Where we're headed is to a "black hole," sucking the galaxy to its center - a concentrated mass that attracts all adjacent energy. The more mass, the stronger the attraction, with the event horizon stretching further and further from the center. There are such centers of mass in every galaxy (as far as can be determined). Imagine one such mass not exploding in a minor criticality, but continuing to gather everything until it becomes a super entity. When it finally goes critical, it creates a new universe.

Consider, in the beginning, our universe was created from such a concentrated mass (a "Big Bang"). British astronomer Sir Frederick Hoyle (1915-2001), an atheist, rejected the idea - surprisingly toying with the Christian insistence of "intelligent design" - but did not pursue a concept of expansion and compression.

Original Cause cannot be determined-only speculated. Let us think about how we developed from what we have observed and deduced, rather than from an imagined "God." Our task as humans, one species of animals, is to insure our own continuum within the operating rules of the universe.

All observable order is the result of resolution of imbalance. The current concern about "global warming" is perhaps overstated in favor of social idealism, without regard to the natural cycles evident from examination of Earth's past. It is true that human developments influence the planet's imbalance, but we must wonder if our effect is only minimal in the universal scheme. Hasn't the planet's cyclic temperature change occurred prior to human manipulation of chemistry?

Natural order will prevail irregardless of our puny attempts to influence the imbalance. The emphasis of cultures should be directed toward standards of performance in human survival, an ongoing problem. The planet - as has been noted - is only a vehicle hosting a temporary species that may be too arrogant in interpretations of its importance.

Earth will move on, with or without humans, in compliance with universal tendencies to balance conflict. It is not "Earth Day" of which we should be aware, but "Our Days." Until we are each aware of our individual impact on one another and all, we're unlikely to greatly influence the balances of nature.