The Known Universe

This video actually came out over a year ago, but it came to mind recently, so I thought I'd share:

It had quite an impact on me when I first watched it. Seeing just how small and tiny we are compared to the vastness of the universe is simply mind-boggling. And this is only the parts of the universe that we know is out there! Where some might see that vastness and despair, I look at it and am filled with an intense desire to know what fills that space. I think maybe that's why I find science fiction so fascinating; it posits what might be out in the universe and imagines what it's like. Things like this also make me wish that I knew more about the universe and how it worked. My younger brother is a fledgling mathematician, so every once in a while I talk to him about science. Though his focus is math, it gives him the foundation to explore physics, astronomy, and other scientific fields that I can barely comprehend since my foundation is in the arts.

While I wouldn't trade my education for anything, I do wish that I had had more of an inclination towards science. It opens up a whole other way of thinking and seeing the world that is somewhat closed to me since my thought processes are pretty much hardwired towards a certain manner of perceiving things. There are things that I couldn't possibly imagine that are posited in the field of science, and I wish I could be a little less hindered by the boundaries of my knowledge. However, just hearing about the sorts of classes my brother would have to take in order to get his Masters in Astronomy sends my mind reeling, so I don't know if I could have handled such an intensive field of study.

Though I don't think I would actually enjoy living for thousands of years, I kind of wish I could just so I could see the kinds of advances that science will make hundreds of years. I suppose since we've made such incredible strides in the space of fifty years, I can expect to see even more wonders before I die; but will I live long enough to actually know whether we can travel to other planets? Will we ever encounter other life in the universe? If we do encounter life, will it be hostile and completely incapable of communicating with us, as Stephen Hawking believes? Or will it actually be something like the aliens we've invented in books, movies, and television?

Those are the sorts of things I think about when I see a video like the one above. I wonder what's out there and whether we'll ever have a chance to know. On the one hand, I hope I do get to see it. If we're going to get wiped out by aliens, though, I think I'll pass.