We Are Star Stuff Contemplating the Stars

This comic strip is an artist’s interpretation of Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s answer to the question “What is The Most Astounding Fact?” On this post you will only find an extract of the strip; I encourage you to look at the whole thing at Zen Pencils. A true gem!

My own commentary follows at the bottom.

 

Dr. DeGrasse Tyson’s beautiful words are not only extremely profound but also a scientific fact. By reading them over and over again, it starts to feel a little bit like praying: “These stars, when unstable in their later years, collapsed and exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the Galaxy. Guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself.”

“Forget Jesus, stars died so that you could be here today!” says astrophysicist Lawrence M. Krauss.

What is noteworthy is that this prayer doesn’t ask anything from anyone and doesn’t offer anything in exchange. In this prayer, there are no human sacrifices, no cannibalism and no fixation with sex or virginity. There are no envies, no obligations, no imaginary friends, no debtors or creditors. Nothing in this prayer hints on human weaknesses or complexes. It is a beautifully articulated representation of the elegant Universe, a poem on immutable reality.

I was deeply moved by these words the first time I heard them and remain in awe, to this day, in face of what they mean. The best part is that I don’t need blind faith to know it is absolutely and unequivocally true. Its truthfulness can be verified before a huge community of scientists from different walks of life, nationalities, races and even creed.

Note that this prayer doesn’t answer a “why?” question but a “how?” question. The Universe doesn’t provide you with answers on “why?” because there is no answer to that question. I think the correct stance for the existentialist is to be humble enough to understand there is no destiny, no purpose; there is only what we make out of what there is. By studying the Universe we have better odds at understanding “how” it is we stand here, than by any other means. That, I believe, is something worth being thankful for. We have to understand that giving our life a meaning is our responsibility and no one else's. We have to stop, once and for all, hiding behind the false comfort of believing that everything has been planned out, that everything will be all right. It might or it might not be all right, deal with it. We get one chance at this beautiful ride that life is, and it's a bad idea to go wasting it around hoping for a better afterlife.

The next time you look-up to gaze at the stars, remember that at their core are the exact same elements that assemble the cornea, the optic nerve and the brain that allow you to see them. They are the exact same elements that make your heart beat, as well as the hearts of 7-billion of your brothers and sisters. For he who understands this, no millenary fairy tale or sacred scripture will ever suffice again.

Here is the original audio from Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson's speech. Enjoy!