I have been looking at all kinds of stories, folktales, myths, and legends. The number three keeps coming up. Three brothers go on a quest, and they are assigned three tasks. Or three sisters are all captured by a giant and three different animals help them escape. The number three even comes up in religion with the Holy Trinity with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I have been trying to figure out why the number three.
I discovered recently that three is a construct for how human beings understand the world. When we look at time, it is divided into three: the past, the present, and the future. When we look at the earth, it is divided into three planes: the land, the sea, and the air. It would be just something simple if it were just that, but as I contemplated three, I decided to think bigger and smaller. I looked into subatomic particles. Three is a construct there as well: neutrons, electrons, and protons. Then, I wondered about the universe. I asked several questions and I finally asked: What is the universe make of? I found three again: normal matter, dark matter, and then dark energy.
It is difficult for me not to see the hand of God in all of this. How could people who had no idea about subatomic particles or the makeup of the universe create stories with threes in them and yet when scientists try to explain our world, they find the best way is to use the power of three again. Somehow there’s an explanation, but whatever it is, I feel like it is very obvious that we are drawn to the power of three. I hope that God will guide me to find those answers and that they will help me to better understand our world and to love better.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
