A speck in the universe

Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.

~ Carl Sagan. American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science populariser and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences.

In the universe; that totality of all existence, including planets, stars, galaxies, the contents of intergalactic space, all matter, all energy; the cosmos and in its whole presence; an individual, any individual, howsoever great, is not even a tiny speck in comparison. There are more stars and planets in the universe than all humanity put together. Amidst this vast ocean of planets and stars, we are just specks sitting on a speck of a rock we call earth.

As far as nature is concerned, a man’s very birth and death, his struggles and trials, his triumphs and defeats, all are irrelevant incidents. They are like, puny stones pulverised under the wheels of time. If he lives, he will just get closer to the inevitable end.

If he dies, the universe will in spite of it, remain the same. In terms of human life span, the universe is eternal, infinite, and without limits. Thus, it is indifferent to the trivial pursuits of man and his sufferings, his achievements. It is always good to remember one's insignificance and know that we are nothing more than that of a man among billions of other men, nothing more than an animal amid billions of animals.

In fact, there are five times as many rats on earth than man, thirty five billion to be exact. Our abode, this earth, is but a little grain of sand in comparison with the size of Sirius and others bodies of the cosmos.

One's life span, in comparison with billions on billions of ages of existence of other entities of the cosmos, is nothing; not even a moment in the endlessness of time. Further, if one reflects upon it, no man is much regarded by the rest of the world where billions of other men exist.

He who considers how little he dwells upon the condition of others, will learn, how little the attention of others is, attracted by him. In spite of the multitudes passing before us, of whom perhaps not one appears to deserve our notice, or excites our sympathy; we should remember that we likewise are lost in the same throng; that the eye which happens to glance upon us is turned in a moment on him that follows us.

Vacant

Thus, the utmost that we can reasonably hope for, is to fill a vacant hour with prattle and patter and be forgotten.

Therefore, the ultimate measure of man is not in his own importance, but in his own insignificance. To understand this is to preserve the freedom of the mind. Once comprehension of this truth dawns, his spirit will be free of the insanity of his vanity, and his ego; and will proceed in improvement of the condition of man.

Man constantly strives for more, for better, for bigger, of everything; but few are those who strive to better the mind. They realise not that the self-worth one feels, as well as the happiness life brings, depends upon the direction in which one’s thoughts are moving, the burden it carries, and the emotional space through which it travels.

Between life’s stimulus and our reaction to it lies growth, freedom, and man’s happiness. In the ultimate analysis, we are our thoughts. We cannot change anything, if we cannot change our thoughts.

Our thoughts will decide the person we become. Thus, to change our life, we must first change our mind. We must free it from the restrictive thinking that holds us back. No one in the world was ever you before; no one ever will be you.

The human mind sees what it wants to see, not what everyone else sees.

The human mind has not only the capacity to imitate the cosmos, but to become and be the cosmos. In many ways, it is akin to the Milky Way Galaxy of which the world is but a tiny speck on which micro specks of individual beings live. Yet, our mind is the galaxy of our home amidst billions of other galaxies in the universe; and to exist in this vastness for a speck of time is the great gift of life.

A glance up at the night sky will reveal a broad swath of light.

Described by the ancients as a river of milk, among other things, this band has been visible in the heavens since Earth first formed 4.5 billion years ago. In reality, this intriguing line of light is the centre of our galaxy, as seen from one of its outer arms.

The Milky Way does not sit still, but is constantly rotating and travelling into the infinity of space. The sun and the solar system travel with it. The solar system travels at an average speed of 828,000 kilometres per hour. Even at this rapid speed, the solar system would take about 230 million years to travel all the way around the Milky Way. Thus, during a human life span, we see just a tiny part of our galaxy.

Galaxy

New stars constantly form within the galaxy whilst the older ones die; and at any given time, approximately 200 billion stars are in existence just in the Milky Way galaxy. Its central disc is only about 1,000 light-years thick and it is 100,000 to 120,000 light years in diameter. Amidst all this, in its centre, is the galactic bulge. Known as the heart of the Milky Way, this bulge is crammed full of gas, dust, and stars. It is so thick that you cannot even peer into the bulge of the Milky Way, much less see the other side. Tucked inside the very centre of the galaxy is a monstrous black hole, billions of times as massive as the sun.

The greedy glutton also consumes whatever stars it can get a grip on. Luckily, for us, our solar system is located in the outer reaches of the Milky Way. There are many more, interesting facts; but it would be too long and boring for the reader. If I have dwelt so much on our galaxy, it is only to show the immensity of all things in the universe and the insignificance of human life in comparison to space and time.

Nevertheless, in spite of it, if we consider the human brain, in which our mind resides, it may be a tiny, tiny part of the cosmos: a part defying measure, and indeterminable; but compared to the biochemical complexity of the brain and its perfectly organised parts, our galaxy is just an inert lump.

Our brain is more complex than a galaxy, and is the holy grail of our existence. The human brain participates in every human emotion, every human feeling, every human thought, and every human decision.

No other natural or engineered system can match its ability to adapt to novel challenges, to acquire new information and skills, to take complex decisions and to work reliably for decades on end.

And, despite its many diseases, no other system can match its robustness in the face of severe damage or match its amazing energy efficiency. Having such a wonderful organ, man ought to cherish it, and use it more often than he does at present.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

For views, reviews, encomiums, and brickbats: [email protected]