[Telepathic Intruder]

"chemical reactions that result in a lower energy state are favored, but why is that?"

For the same reason that rocks tend to roll downhill rather than up (from higher to lower gravitational potential). It is easier to release rather than gain energy because adding energy means applying it in a very specific manner. There are just far more ways for energy to go from a high to a low state. So on average, all energy is expansive.

[neverevergiveup]

I know the physics, but the bottom line is that as with all physical principles, we know what is observed but know little about the mechanisms that define those observations. Why does the moon ‘grab’ onto a spacecraft (e.g. the Apollo craft) and ‘pull’ it towards the moon? We know it happens, but we don’t really know why.