We were always told of our importance in the spaces we occupy. Our parents reassured us of this. Our teachers reminded us everyday. But what they forget to tell us is how truly insignificant we all are in the grand scheme of things. We always look down, look around, but fail to look up. So humans have a sense of entitlement, a sense that somehow the world owes them something merely for existing. And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe instead of just telling us how important we are, we should also be taught of how insignificant we are. Maybe, just maybe, if we learned to look at the stars and understand how small we are in the cosmos, how the universe will continue to exist without us, maybe we can all forget our egos and learn to be kinder to one another. Maybe then we will realize that power and money mean nothing. Maybe we can start to think of each other as equals and stop the wars where we fight to prove ourselves greater. If we all looked at the stars and saw how small we are, how tiny the space we occupy, how we were all made by fortuitous events in the evolution of the universe, maybe we can become better human beings. It might be terrifying to see your insignificance when you were led to believe of your importance…but maybe that’s how we become better.
Renee Karunungan 