When Carl Sagan commented on the vastness of the universe, and humanity’s place in it, describing our planet as a “pale blue dot”, he aptly approached a topic which we cannot ever have the answer to: what is our purpose here? But I have always found accepting how vast the nothingness is, and how small a part we are, strangely reassuring — keeping me grounded on said pale blue dot. Sadly, that perspective appears absent from those steering the direction of our geopolitics, and in many ways we are in scary times, promising to get scarier. The current and looming conflict and violence aside, I hope the current Artemis mission inspires people to look beyond the senselessness of violence, and toward the collective achievement of humanity, as humanity.
On a personal note, I have been reflecting on my time at university and in London. And while I doubt I will be long away from the big smoke, at least for now this chapter of my life — which has been such a big part of my adult life — is coming to an end. Better or for worse, I have changed greatly, done lots, and given myself lots more to do. I am still lazy, I still love coffee, but I hope I am a more rounded person, with a more complete worldview. My mum always says people will judge you by the company you keep, and I can truly say I am proud to call my friends friends, and lucky to have them. The people I have met in London, and friends I have kept from before and will carry far into the future, simply are the best part. I am very lucky, and I love you all.
Just a quick reflection as coursework calls — hopefully I shall blog again when I have a bit more time. But I felt like I needed to put this down on “paper”. — Pip