I have had more time to be amazed at our creation lately. This site was inspired by looking at spirals in nature. Our pastor once showed a picture of a spiral galaxy, and it looked so much like a hurricane. Why should such very different creations look so similar? It got me thinking.

Then, while traveling to Colorado, I picked up a pinecone and noticed how much it looked like a seashell. Why is that? It turns out, this spiral pattern was only described 900 years ago by Leonardo Pisano, whose nickname was Fibonacci. This Italian was about as bright as they come, and he came up with a series of numbers that bears his name. Basically, you start with 0 and 1 and add the last two numbers to form a sequence. This succession expands at a rate known as phi, or the golden ratio. This golden ratio was also called the “divine ratio” by Luca Pacioli. Later, Leonardo DaVinci referred to it as the “golden section” (so he really did have a code!).

What is so amazing about this ratio is how often it appears in nature. Not only in galaxies, but in pinecones, in the ratio of your fingers to each other and in fossilized shells, millions of years old. The example above is a seashell and a flower. Scientists have postulated reasons for its common occurrence, but no one has proven why it is seen so frequently.

But there is a deeper mystery here. This ratio is beautiful. You can tell if someone or something is intrinsically physically attractive based on this ratio. And that brings me to the real mystery. Why is there beauty at all? What Darwinian function does it serve? Why does it matter to any of us if something is beautiful or not? Why do we feel a sense of peace while viewing a sunset? I was on the West Coast recently, and one evening hundreds of people came out to the beach just to watch the dazzling colors. Why do we care at all?

Because we recognize design, and we know deep down that there is beauty. Because we are more than just a bunch of chemical reactions that have no meaning.

Where do you see beauty? I encourage you to look for it actively, and see if you notice more than meets the eye. I’d love to hear from you, and thanks for reading.