Why are objects objects?

The human brain has developed to successfully negotiate the world we live in by referring to elements of that world as objects. But this useful tool has its limitations when it comes to negotiating the world beyond the concrete here and now.

Is an avalanche an object? Is a river an object? Is a wave an object? Is the human race an object? Is the universe an object?

Extreme lengths of time, extreme spacial distances and non-visible phenomena present challenges to our ability to define parts of our world, because we (including scientists) insist on describing them as objects.