Seen from the perspective of the evolutionary process, earth gave birth to life. And life takes on the dynamics of this planet, to grow increasingly complex, to adapt to change, and to continue to give birth to ever more complexity. Along the way, incredibly adaptive mechanisms such as photosynthesis, which turns energy from the sun into life, and sexuality, which creates new life from shared genetic material, are invented. Underlying these processes is the essence of life, which Swimme explains as a profound longing for a deeper, richer experience.