9.13.2006

Big Picture

I walked outside tonight and looked up into the sky. I was hoping to see stars, but it was pretty cloudy. I saw a few peak through from time to time, but not the big open expanse that I really wanted to explore. Why did I want to look at stars tonight? I've been thinking about "Big Picture" questions of human existence. All of that; Are we alone? If there's life out there, will they like us? What's the chance of us just ceasing to exist and anything finding our societal remains?

I didn't answer any of those questions of course. No one can answer them except for those who will live thousands of years from now. Or not live, in the case of that last question. Many more just popped up, however. Those questions became a little smaller in scope, and a little changing of the words. Instead of the Universe I changed it to just Earth. What will future generations think of the world I live in today? Was what I learned about the past in school really that accurate? What kind of interpretations will be made from those that right the history books?

Then I went to the individual. The individual in this case was me. I began pondering if I would be in any of those books. The way things are now, no way. Then thoughts of what would be my impact if I were to die the very next night? Would I register as a ripple or tremor in the consciousness of the world? Obviously not since I'm not a worldwide-name-type. Who would be effected by it all? Family. A few friends maybe. Would that impact be strong enough to tell future generations of me and my life? The best remembrances of me would come through photos that may be passed down in hard drives or boxes full of photos, since I was born pre-digital. Would there be any more to an explanation of, "Who is that in this picture?" than, "That's Kosmo. He was your (fill in familial relation here). You kind of look like him."

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