I feel small.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 3:30 am

No, not like that. Or that.

I'm watching meteors. A streak of brilliant light across the sky every now and then. And the blinking, twinkling, of a bunch of stars and satellites. Mostly satellites.

Imagining them up close. Hunks of space rock, hurtling through our atmosphere, burning and disintegrating, at temperatures that would annihilate every last man, woman, and child across the continent.

Poof. Gone in an instant. Bye bye, meteor.

It's lovely. It's beautiful. It's worth every second, spent craning my neck, twirling around, scanning the sky for any flicker or flame.

Thoughts? Space? Existentialism? Our world in microcosm? Anything?

I like watching meteors. Bye bye, meteors.

Br3admax · Post by **Br3admax** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 3:46 am

You see, the real thing to watch is meteorites. Way better, they get your adrenaline pumping. You know, because you could die. Makes you feel really small, or big, it depends on how much makes it to the Earth's surface.

Will Zurmacht · Post by **Will Zurmacht** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 4:43 am

Baloth-Kul wrote:Imagining them up close. Hunks of space rock, hurtling through our atmosphere, burning and disintegrating, at temperatures that would annihilate every last man, woman, and child across the continent.

Makes me feel grateful to whomever of the cosmic Powers set up that defensive matrix (the atmosphere) for Terra. It keeps the Sun's thermal radiation from crisping us, and little astronomical detritus like you mentioned from pelting us.

Pretty sure the dinosaurs ~~aren't~~ weren't too keen on the barrier, though, seeing as its failure to block a huge asteroid likely wiped them out, and all. Let's hope that the Powers have a better fate in store for us mere mammals.

Generalno1 · Post by **Generalno1** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:14 am

Spoiler:

Taters · Post by **Taters** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:53 am

Hate to inject nit-picking into such a heady topic, but meteors, comets and asteroids are so ridiculously cold that even entry into our planet's atmosphere doesn't heat them to anything more than room temperature, at best.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:36 pm

Cooool.

HorkerPatrol · Post by **HorkerPatrol** » Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:46 pm

Spent all last night watching the sky , saw the ISS too , brilliant

Avron the S'wit · Post by **Avron the S'wit** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:11 pm

Generalno1 wrote:
Spoiler:

Fun fact: I learnt many important life lessons (or had some of them reinforced) by Calvin and Hobbes. So good.

As for meteors, I will say that I had the lucky fortune to see them from the balcony of a ship at sea, in perfect darkness, and it was utterly humbling, but I am frequently reminded of my small place in the universe. Put space aside and consider that I live next to, and am always in, New York City. It is the most populated city in the United States, hosting a population of 8,244,910 in 468.48 square miles (1,213.4 km2, according to the math wizards at Wikipedia). That's a lot of people. Not only that, but it has these magnificent buildings that do nothing but dwarf you. When you think about just being one person in that soup, hidden in the shadows of buildings, lost in the hustle and bustle...you realize, Hot dang, what am I missing out on today?

I think being humbled by whatever piece of nature or manmade wonders that you find is important, because it reminds you that, while your life is but a blink in the cosmic scale, your size but a tiny grain of dust, you are not the only person in the world during your time, however long or short. You have neighbors, local and global, who undergo a wide variety of things, some similar to you and some not. It's very easy to ignore them and say that your time doesn't really matter...but it's much more important, and more rewarding, to think that you only have this much time to contribute to something positive.

Now that's humbling...and pretty awesome, too.

POMC S117 · Post by **POMC S117** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:13 pm

Who needs that plonker Confucius when you have Avron?

Avron the S'wit · Post by **Avron the S'wit** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:14 pm

Well, "Avron say" isn't quite as catchy.

Dark Spark · Post by **Dark Spark** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:19 pm

Name another form of primate that can send a message over the entire planet in a matter of seconds.

Generalno1 · Post by **Generalno1** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:25 pm

Everything is made of atoms.

But each one is significant. remove one and everything goes to hell.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:28 pm

I don't think it's half bad. ^_^ Confucius says, real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. Avron says, ....................Derf. I dunno!

--And then, it infuriates me when fools believe themselves to be the center of the universe. No, you are not. You are, in fact, less than a grain of dust. You are anti-dust. You are what is driving our civilization BACKWARDS, not forwards. You are not a big gear in the mechanical assembly that is life, you are a wrench thrown into it.

Self-humbling is good. Though it IS good to take some pride in what you DO have and contribute to. I am quite proud of myself for all my supporting of my friends. Through easy or tough times, I'll always be there for them, and can happily say they feel the same.

Ultimately, yep, all we are is airborne mini-dirt.

You are all lovely people.

Dark Spark · Post by **Dark Spark** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:36 pm

"I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one's self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one's own powers."

We are not so insignificant as to tear this biosphere asunder and mortage the future of our children through acts of selfish abandon. To think ourselves inconsequential is seek absolution from what we do to this world. That is as dangerous as any arrogance we use to mould this world to our desires.

POMC S117 · Post by **POMC S117** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:38 pm

Whoever wrote that is a smart man. I hate it when people think that humans are the greatest thing in the universe, but at the same time I really dislike it when people compare humans to a speck of dust. We may be small on the cosmological scale of size, but each individual is special. What? Did Piglet never teach you anything?

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:43 pm

We're special in our own ways, but we're not the best, the coolest thing, the center of the universe.

Eltee · Post by **Eltee** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:46 pm

Who's not to say that a speck of dust is spectacular in it's own right?

Dark Spark · Post by **Dark Spark** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:47 pm

Baloth-Kul wrote:We're special in our own ways, but we're not the best, the coolest thing, the center of the universe.

Indeed.

We're the rasp.

The Raven · Post by **The Raven** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:28 pm

I tend to not really give a damn about "feeling small" and interconnectedness of all things. Waste of time, basically.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:38 pm

Indeed? Let's cross out thinking and conversation and going to school off the list, while we're at it.

Dark Spark · Post by **Dark Spark** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:09 am

So, school is all about teaching us how stupid we are?

Colored me suprised.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:14 am

...I think some are missing the point of this thread.

Ed~ · Post by **Ed~** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 5:16 am

To the universe, if it were a living room, we're a 1 x 1 square centimetre of dust somewhere in the corner.

But who cares, as the vlog brothers said: "This may be the biggest mystery of all the ones in which we dwell: How the Universe created a tool in which to know itself."

POMC S117 · Post by **POMC S117** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:19 pm

I'm surprised no-one's made that joke yet.

Post by **Baloth-Kul** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:53 pm

Baloth-Kul wrote:No, not like that. Or that.

I anticipated it. Especially from you, POMC

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