No Two Are Alike
Fluffy white flakes drifting down in crystalline patterns; there is nothing like the beauty of freshly fallen snow.
We have always found the beauty in snow, but it took the curiosity of Jericho, Vermont famer, Wilson Bentley, to uncover its mystery. Bentley engineered a method of photography called photomicrography which enabled him to get a closer look at snow. In his photographs you can see the white snow crystals against a black background, making it easy to see the unique crystalline forms of each snowflake. Bentley was able to photograph over 5,000 snowflakes before his death in 1931.
Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike? Snowflakes form when water vapor in clouds condenses immediately to ice around a small particle, like dust. The “classic” snowflake is a six-sided crystal, however, changes in humidity and temperature will cause their shapes to be different. Sometimes the flakes can form in columns, thin needles, or a flat shape called plates. Although these flakes are all in some sort of crystal form, there are many unique combinations you can make with crystal structures. So for all intents and purposes, it is true that no two snowflakes are alike.
Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two humans are exactly alike. Even identical twins have genetic differences. Part of who we are comes from our parents and ancestors, which influences how we look and even whether we may be genetically predisposed to certain diseases. However, even in our own families, we all behave and interact in different ways. How many times do we wonder how two individuals came from the same family because they are so different?
Each of us is as unique and complex as individual snowflakes. Although they say we all have a “twin” somewhere, having similar facial features does not make us alike. We each have distinguishing qualities and characteristics, genetically determined, that set us apart from other humans. For all the things that may be similar, the differences are what makes us interesting.
We need to embrace our unique characteristics and cherish that which makes us different. We must also welcome and accept the individuality of others, for this is what makes the human race fascinating and interesting. What would life be without our remarkable human dissimilarities?
I am thankful that no two of us are alike.
We have always found the beauty in snow, but it took the curiosity of Jericho, Vermont famer, Wilson Bentley, to uncover its mystery. Bentley engineered a method of photography called photomicrography which enabled him to get a closer look at snow. In his photographs you can see the white snow crystals against a black background, making it easy to see the unique crystalline forms of each snowflake. Bentley was able to photograph over 5,000 snowflakes before his death in 1931.
Is it true that no two snowflakes are alike? Snowflakes form when water vapor in clouds condenses immediately to ice around a small particle, like dust. The “classic” snowflake is a six-sided crystal, however, changes in humidity and temperature will cause their shapes to be different. Sometimes the flakes can form in columns, thin needles, or a flat shape called plates. Although these flakes are all in some sort of crystal form, there are many unique combinations you can make with crystal structures. So for all intents and purposes, it is true that no two snowflakes are alike.
Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two humans are exactly alike. Even identical twins have genetic differences. Part of who we are comes from our parents and ancestors, which influences how we look and even whether we may be genetically predisposed to certain diseases. However, even in our own families, we all behave and interact in different ways. How many times do we wonder how two individuals came from the same family because they are so different?
Each of us is as unique and complex as individual snowflakes. Although they say we all have a “twin” somewhere, having similar facial features does not make us alike. We each have distinguishing qualities and characteristics, genetically determined, that set us apart from other humans. For all the things that may be similar, the differences are what makes us interesting.
We need to embrace our unique characteristics and cherish that which makes us different. We must also welcome and accept the individuality of others, for this is what makes the human race fascinating and interesting. What would life be without our remarkable human dissimilarities?
I am thankful that no two of us are alike.
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