How do you feel when you look at the stars?

Initially, insignificant in a very freeing way. Sometimes it’s a relief to look up and far into the past, and recognize that in a cosmic sense, my presence is immaterial. I can never screw up so much that the entire universe is at stake. I can never succeed so much that the universe takes notice. It’s very calming.

Sometimes I think a bit about the possibility of alien or extraterrestrial life. It seems likely, though who’s to say if we’re talking about bacteria or sentient beings or something in between? Whatever I think of that has no impact on the reality of extraterrestrial life, so my musing on it is usually fairly brief.

Sometimes I think about Stephen Hawking and his work. I’ve read A Brief History of Time, which is an A+ and hilarious title, and I typically at this stage think about how I should re-read it. Sometimes the next thought is about string theory, which I do not really understand, but can’t help but be curious about.

But that’s all thinking, or at least the previous two paragraphs. I guess I feel small and free.