A Dust Speck

This video from the American Museum of Natural History is making the rounds. It reminds me of a “Calvin and Hobbes” cartoon. In the first frame Calvin is outside gazing up at an immense sky, full of stars. In the second frame he yells, “I’M SIGNIFICANT!” In the third Calvin still gazes upward in silence. In the last frame, still looking up, he says, “. . .screamed the dust speck.”

Maybe so, but we are the universe conscious of itself and able to stand in awed silence at its beauty and immensity. And our own smallness.

(The video has sound but only background music which is unnecessary for watching it. Watch it full screen, if you can.)

Tags: "The Known Universe", American Museum of Natural History, Calvin and Hobbes, the universe