21 grams
Archetypically as humans, we learn a plethora of lesson through the journey of life but hardly put them all to practice. Permit me to state boldly that we will be failing grossly in our duty to self if we don’t reflect and act on fundamental lessons this unprecedented year has taught us. We often grapple with the concept of priority, questioning ourselves on what really carries weight in our endless list of needs, wants and priorities.
In the year 1907, a physician named Duncan MacDougall carried out a medical study labelled the “21 grams experiment”. His research hypothesised that souls have physical weight, and he attempted to measure the mass lost by a human when the soul departed the body at the point of death. For the sake of argument, it is worth mentioning that Duncan’s work is widely regarded as flawed and unscientific within the medical fraternity. However, I think he certainly left us with an underlining question to ponder deeply - “Does the Human Soul have a weight?”
For the purpose of the experiment, Duncan sat next to six dying patients and weighed them pre the instance of death and post the instance of death and found that the human weight dropped by 21grams. The outcome of Duncan’s experiment posed an interesting question - “Is the weight of the human soul 21grams?”
Here’s the interesting bit, if we were to assume that Duncan’s work is remotely accurate, this infers that the part of us that really counts, that forms human connections, that aspires for a greater purpose, that seeks to leave a legacy,…the part of us that “if its lost, all is lost” is a mere 21grams! (For contextualisation, that’s less than 1% of our 1%).
Begs the question - What Really Matters? …in my humble opinion, this is an important question we ought to always ask ourselves as we begin a new chapter of our lives each passing day. Perhaps what really matters is our 21grams.
As the saying goes, “answers are found within questions”. So if ever you’re struggling with the idea of “what really matters”, here are three guiding question to help you arrive at a somewhat relatable answer;
What feels Real? - You’ll know “real” once you’ve felt it…or ask a woman who has just held the baby she conceived and carried for 9months. The moment you concern yourself with only that which feels real, there’s a natural discernment of what becomes important in your life and you become less seduced by that which is material and ephemeral.
What feels Right? - Ever been somewhere, with someone, doing something that doesn’t feel right or sit right with you? Your conscience is your built-in compass and it always guides you with this. Concern yourself with only that which feels right, that which fills your soul and ignites your spirit.
What feels Relevant? - For a soul to truly fulfil its purpose, it must achieve something that inspires other souls (Inspiration - In Spirit). Are you doing things that inspires others and will remain relevant even after you’re gone? Are you leaving your footprints on the sands of time?
Uncannily, we’ve all been faced with the reality and scare of death this year, not in the way we all imagined it to be (old and grey in our beds) but in form of a virus knocking from door to door like the proverbial postman, and taking with him many loved ones - young and old. Makes the idea of “what really matters” a significant enough lesson for us all to ponder as we draw close to the end of a tumultuous 2020, with the hope of a better 2021.
Remember - “In life, only do that which makes you feel most alive, that which fills your soul and keeps you always in alignment with your 21grams.” - B.J.O
Peace, Love & Light.