Primo Levi's "Observed from a Distance" explores human society from an outside perspective, which makes clear the arbitrary and unique nature of humans and human culture. One example of this is the writer's observation about Earth's rhythm. This rhythm is described as "extremely rigid," so much so that they refer to Sundays as "SDE (Seventh Day Events)." They note "Elliptical craters... subject to a weekly rhythm" as well, which are sport stadiums hosting games on Sundays (likely football). Seven days is a number chosen based on a religious story about the creation of the world, with no scientific evidence. Judging by the observer's confusion about how things work currently, they would likely be very confused about why humanity operates on this arbitrary rhythm instead of some sort of celestial event. The observer also notes that the life on earth has a biological 7 day rhythm for some reason. They state "all proposed hypotheses aren't very satisfying. As a curiosity, we point out that the hypothesis of a biological rhythm has been formulated by some observers." The language the observer uses frames the hypotheses as unreliable and unsatisfying, further indicating the unnatural and inexplicable patterns that humans exhibit. As a participant in human society, it can be hard to grasp how odd our lives and planet are, but when see through the eyes of such a distant observer, we can begin to understand the oddity and arbitrary nature of humanity.