Coal is not ordinary rock. It began as living forest — vast Carboniferous swamps filled with sunlight-built trees. Compressed sunlight from hundreds of millions of years ago turned into coal. Burning coal produced the steam, which turned the turbines, which generated the magnetic forces, which were carried through wire, which produced electricity, which powered the creation of modern technology. Philosophical parallel: One's core integrity endures and holds unseen but real value in the long term even beneath a calm surface.