Universe is full of riddles, hidden signs, hints and symbols. And we are like magicians who contemplate these riddles and sometimes come up with very creative ways of engaging with them.
Take gravity. It is quite an amazing symbol. Other foces, like magnetism, friction and so on always need a medium, some spcial conditions to manifest themselves and they affect only certain types of objects. Unlike them gravity is universal, instant and has infinite range. It affects absolutely everying, from feathers and stones to light.