A Message

Oh, to live long enough to hear we've received a message from another race in the cosmos. To finally know for certain in the vast universe that we are not alone would comfort me. Even though the likelihood of us ever meeting would be next to nil, to know there are intelligent beings just as curious if we're out there as we are if they are.

That would be enough for me.

Stars in the Galaxy

"In this magical life we live, it's as though everyone we've ever met is like a star in the galaxy of our experience and beingness. Some are near and shine bright, and others are distant and faint. Some present, some past, but all significant. All part of the story of our existence, all with their own individual significance."
— Rasheed Ogunlaru

Cosmic Comfort

With all the James Webb excitement this week I've been thinking. What if someday we did receive messages from another civilization somewhere in the galaxy? Sadly they'd be too far away to communicate in real time with. And that's okay, I think. In an odd way knowing we could never meet but finally knowing we aren't alone, and that there are other beings out there just as curious as we are is comfort enough.

A Spiral Arm Of The Milky Way And Our Place In The Cosmos

I've actually experienced this. A few years ago I was vacationing in Puerto Rico and spent a few days on the island of Vieques. I was alone on a beach one night away from any artificial light. The nearest arm of the galaxy stretched from one horizon to the other. I stood there watching in awe for about two hours. It was just me, the waves washing up on shore, and the Milky Way. I felt as if the galaxy and I shared some kind of private intimacy and kinship. It was my seductive and mysterious partner, sharing with me and only me its immense and sacred secrets. To say I was overwhelmed and humbled with my tiny yet significant and necessary place in the cosmos sounds contradictory, but it's the best description of the power and weight of the moment. 

A stunning video of this can be seen at the link below.

https://vimeo.com/211656397