In Ethiopia 40 years ago today, bone fossils dated 3.2 million years old were discovered. Lucy was the name given to this female skeleton. And as scientist debate what this means, it surrenders my thoughts to the dynamic power of our explorations and the discoveries that have the potential to challenge everything we thought we knew.

Discoveries that alter the way we see our past, also reshape the way we see our present. New evidence can create a shift to the plot that we’ve based our stories on; making an advanced reality feel more like a betrayal than good news.

Because of this shift, significant discoveries involve some protest. And agreements reflect the time needed to resolve how this defines our past, as we grasp to a present that is freshly unveiled, and a future that bears the threat of another discovery that will take us through the cycle again.

As we journey to uncover what may be buried deep within us, we must prepare ourselves for a potentially great shift, as we discover our Lucy.