Are you sitting still as you read this? Standing still? Lying down still? You are probably doing one of those, since reading is easier when we are still. It is good to be still at times. Modern life can be hectic, and we all need a break from that.

There is, however, one little problem with our perception of being still: it is a total illusion. From the day you are born you are moving in ways that you cannot fully comprehend.

There are approximately 6.5 octillion atoms in the average human body. Some of us are carrying around a few more atoms than we should, but even the average of 6.5 octillion is a lot of atoms: 6.5 followed by 26 zeros. Atoms are what you are made of at a very basic level, and they are never still. They are constantly vibrating, which means that at the atomic level you are always moving. Your body is a vibrating mass of billions and billions of atoms.

A more familiar example of constant motion is the rotation of the earth. The earth rotates at a speed of about 1,000 miles per hour (the speed where you are depends on your latitude) and we call one rotation a day. You and everything else on earth are being carried along at this breakneck speed as the earth rotates. Gravity is the only thing that keeps us from spinning off into space.

In addition to rotating on its axis, the earth revolves around the sun at a speed of 67,000 miles per hour, carrying with it the moon, which is revolving around the earth. We call one revolution of the earth a year, so your age at each birthday tells you how many times you have been around the sun. All other…