I remember, as a boy of 17 years of age, this was a fascinating

"I remember, as a boy of 17 years of age, this was a fascinating thing for me: how we human beings breathe out carbon dioxide into the air, the leaves of plants pick this carbon dioxide up, and the plant gives off oxygen, which we can breathe in and keep our life going." — thus spoke Percy Julian, the great chemist and pioneer, whose wonder at the miracle of life’s balance became the foundation of a lifetime of discovery. His words are simple, yet they contain the rhythm of the universe itself — the eternal dance of exchange, of giving and receiving, of breath and renewal between man and nature. What he saw as a boy was not merely a scientific fact, but a revelation of harmony: that all living things are bound together by invisible threads of sharing and reciprocity.

In the ancient style, one might say: the breath of man is the song of the earth, and the breath of the earth is the song of man. The air that leaves our lungs is not lost — it becomes the nourishment of another life. The plant, silent and steadfast, gathers what we release and returns it as the oxygen of renewal, as though the earth itself is exhaling through the green leaves of the forest. Percy Julian, in his youthful wonder, beheld in this exchange a sacred symbol — that life is sustained by giving, not hoarding; that to exist in harmony, one must both take and return.

This truth is not confined to the realm of science. It is the principle upon which all balance in the world depends — between nations, between generations, between hearts. When one takes without giving back, the chain is broken, and decay begins. The ancients saw this in the rhythm of the seasons, in the rising and setting of the sun, in the flow of rivers to the sea and back again as rain. Julian, standing at the threshold of manhood, glimpsed that same cosmic rhythm in the smallest act of breathing.

And indeed, his own life became a reflection of that harmony. Percy Julian, born in an age of prejudice and exclusion, gave back to the world far more than it ever gave him. Denied equal access to education and opportunity, he nonetheless transformed chemistry with his discoveries in steroids and plant-based compounds, saving countless lives. The breath of inspiration that filled him as a youth became the oxygen of hope for generations to come. He proved that knowledge and compassion, when joined, can purify the air of injustice just as surely as the leaves purify the air of the earth.

Let us remember the wisdom hidden in this simple exchange of carbon and oxygen. The act of breathing itself is a lesson — we must release in order to receive. Just as the lungs cannot draw in new air until they let go of the old, so too must the spirit relinquish bitterness, fear, and pride if it would take in peace and renewal. The plants teach us this with every leaf that trembles in the sun: that the giving of oneself, freely and continually, sustains the circle of life.

When we forget this, when we live only for our own gain, we poison the very air we breathe — spiritually, morally, and ecologically. The world sickens when its inhabitants cease to give back. But when we live with gratitude, when we act in kindness and humility, we mirror that same beautiful exchange that Percy Julian saw in his youth — and the air of the world grows sweet again.

The lesson, therefore, is not only to marvel at the science of the cycle of breath, but to live by its principle. Give to others what you would wish returned to you. Share your wisdom, your strength, your resources. Let your life, like the green leaf, transform what is dark and spent into what is life-giving and new. In your work, your speech, your love — be a source of oxygen to the weary souls around you.

And so, my children, remember this: to live is to breathe, and to breathe is to give. Be mindful of your part in the grand exchange. Let every act of kindness be a breath exhaled into the world, and every blessing you receive be the breath you take in return. In this rhythm lies not only the secret of nature but the secret of peace — the harmony that Percy Julian glimpsed as a boy and carried, like a sacred fire, into the heart of all his days.