When I came home today, giddy and euphoric, I noticed that Cal had a science program on TV, something from the Science Channel hosted by Sam Neill talking about SETI. Lots of talk about the endless space that is the universe. At one point Sam (damn that Speilberg, I can't see that guy without thinking a dinosaur is right on his ass, but wait, I'm going somewhere else) scoops up a handful of sand and says something like "For every grain of sand on the Earth, there are a billion stars in the universe, so many find it statistically unlikely that we are the only intelligent life in the universe."
Coming home to that after a long day of school freaked me the hell out. I've never really thought of the universe being that vast, but holy guacamole, it was quite the moment. I've never thought that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe because frankly, I have higher expectations of intelligence than to assign it to our pitiful species. One of my favorite comics, Kathleen Madigan says that we are the Alabama of the universe and I tend to agree. I think intelligent life knows we're out here but take the galactic by-pass to avoid all our atmosphere poisoning, war-mongering, Third World oppressing, rainforest slashing crap.
Thinking about how small we are in the larger scheme of things tends to reallign my view and leaves me a bit awestruck, but it reminds me that it's possible to live a big passionate life in a tiny edge of the universe. Today, I kind of needed that.
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7 comments:
Isn't it amazing when something you didn't really know or pay attention to comes into focus so clearly?
At least it made you think about something other than another long day at school.
Any other life form has to be more intelligent, I agree. I'm sure that other life forms zoom by Earth like a Jew drives through Georgia on the way to Florida. Just passing by on the way to something better.
Bill Nye, the science guy, at your service!
I don't know what the hell y'all are talking about.
GO 'BAMA! ROLL TIDE
I'm not MJ
The planet sorely needs its chakras realigned.
Here's the one I remember: If you had a book with a star on every page and you turned one page per second, 24/7, you would be turning pages for over one thousand years before you would come close to seeing all the stars. My insignificance comforts me---because I'm a slacker.
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