Baryte

In our culture, we often think of being heavy as a bad thing. Well, here’s a rock to correct that notion. Named after the Greek word for heavy, baryte is one of the heaviest nonmetallic minerals there is. It’s so heavy, it’s literally used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids (the deeper the hole, the more is needed). Many hospitals, power plants, and labs are made safe by concrete that’s been mixed with baryte, because it’s so dense it acts as a shield against radiation. Safe enough to drink, baryte is even used by doctors to check out our insides. Considering all of this, it becomes absurd to associate lightness with goodness and positivity, and heaviness as something dark or best avoided. Further upending that stereotype, baryte can be pure white or even transparent. Perhaps baryte is here to show us that there are times when a bit of weight is exactly what we need most.