I hadn’t planned to do any stargazing tonight.
But I was enjoying a conversation with the woman who was with me and I wasn’t quite ready for it to end. As I was taking her back to her car, I took a slight detour to a hill which is my favorite spot from which to watch sunsets.
It was past 10 p.m., so the sky was mostly dark except for the faint glow of city lights to the west of us. The stars seemed to stretch forever. The view was beautiful. Almost inevitably, our conversation turned to the thoughts which such a view inspires.
She said that when she looks at the stars, she feels small and insignificant.
I’ve heard many people express some version of that idea over the years. It’s turned up in books, movies and conversations. People look at the vastness of the universe and conclude that they are tiny, temporary creatures occupying an insignificant corner of existence.
I understand what they mean. I just don’t feel that.
In fact, I’ve never felt it.

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