Ex Astris, Scientia
When I was young I had a small treehouse in my parent's garden - from atop this tree house I used to spend many an evening laying on its flat roof and star-gazing. For me it was awe-inspiring, humbling and frustrating in equal measures. The incomprehensible enormity of it, a universe of galaxies, star systems, planets and life we know nothing of and cannot even begin to imagine, the discoveries waiting to be made, the adventures waiting to be had and yet, we will have to leave that to another generation many hundreds if not thousands of years from now. Mankind is still very immature in the grand scheme of things, we are akin to a newborn baby in this universe. We are not yet capable of reaching beyond our own petty problems let alone reaching out to the stars.
But we are cursed, cursed with a little knowledge of something we know is so much more significant than anything in our history or existence so far. No longer are we protected from the truth by the belief of an all-powerful being, we now know enough to know we don't know anything about our universe, we are trapped on this planet, constrained by our limited technology to simply "looking" at the universe. It makes me feel so inadequate and claustrophobic to be a human now, when we haven't even begun to emerge from our cocoon, this planet. To me, that is the most frustrating feeling imaginable.
You can't help but feel totally humbled at the sheer inadequacy of mankind to face the challenge that space presents. And yet...the universe is helping us - just by being there - by showing us that our struggles on this planet are petty and insignificant and constantly reminding us how much we have yet to grow.
We are so consumed by materialism, stress, self-promotion and conflict, few of us really see the big picture, especially in this business and in this age.
If you ever feel you need perspective or inspiration, drive out of the city on a clear night, find a quiet spot, lay down and look up at the universe...it's awe-inspiring beyond belief when you consider the possibilities, the beauty and mystery.
