Yet detachment is an illusion. As Lewis Thomas wrote in The Lives of a Cell, “Man is embedded in nature…. The new, hard problem will be to cope with the dawning, intensifying realization of just how interlocked we are.” He went on to point out that mitochondria, the energy sources found within each of our cells, are actually separate miniature creatures. They probably originated as primitive bacteria that found their way into our early ancestor’s eukaryotic cells and subsequently resided there. Mitochondria possess their own DNA and RNA (ribonucleic acid), different from ours, and have their own means of replicating. They are just one of numerous examples of microscopic organisms, like bacteria, that reside within our bodies, depending on us and sometimes, like the bacteria in our intestines that aid in our digestion, providing the mechanisms for our survival. Without our symbiotic mitochondria, we would lack the energy required to think, move, act, or even exist. They have remained small, continuing to reside within us in a secure, relatively risk-free environment. The result has been a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship.

Knowledge of mitochondria leads me to reflect on my own identity. Who am I? I have always thought of myself as one entity, but am I actually a conglomeration of entities housed within one body, my existence dependent on theirs, theirs dependent on mine? Should I be more careful about what I eat, how I treat my body? Does what I do help or hinder these strangers residing in my body? Even before I knew they were there, my symbiotic aliens were busy helping me survive – helpful strangers. The self-same strangers that reside in you are also in your brother, sister, spouse, mother, father, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, neighbor, friend, stranger, dog, cat, goat, cow, seagull, bear, beetle, crow, fish, blade of grass – helping them create energy, breathe, grow, and die. They emphasize our interdependence and our connectedness.