Reading Science magazine on the commuter rail, I discover that the sun was probably not born an only child, as once believed, but rather one of a cluster of stars that has since dispersed. I pause to consider the universe and am caught by a sudden and overwhelming sadness, sitting helpless as I am while planets and galaxies fly from me at incomprehensible speeds. Because I have also read about climate change on this trip, and the DR Congo, I understand why the universe flees us. Still, I feel its departure is premature, like fans who leave the arena when a comeback is still possible.
“My idea of myself is rather my own idea of my neighbor’s idea of me.”
-Floyd Henry Allport – part of a reading about the psychology that led to modern advertising.
Do you agree?
