Ehhh, I'm really not sure how I feel about this. I think it's rambly and repetitive, and I don't know if it says enough about me. Please help me on this one!
The prompt:Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation at the beginning of your essay.
My quote:"'Yes', I said to the little prince, 'whether it's a house or the stars or the desert, what makes them beautiful is invisible!'"
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince)
Since I started my Astronomy class this year, I haven't looked at the world the same way. Space and the universe have always held a certain attraction for me, but this class has vastly increased my fascination. Every day in class, I sit in the front row of the classroom, failing to conceal my sheer awe. How can I not be awestruck in learning that the light we see from the sun was produced in its center 100,000 years ago or that in a black hole the mass of a star 20 times bigger than the sun can compress itself into an area smaller than the nucleus of an atom? The universe constantly reminds me to appreciate the hidden beauty in life.
What I have learned about the physical makeup of the universe has led to more complex existential ponderings. I recently picked up Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku (mainly because it had the words "time travel" and "teleportation" on the cover, as well as a picture of the TARDIS). In the chapter on parallel universes, Kaku discusses the amazing suitability of our universe for supporting life. The fact that we even exist seems impossible when looking at all the factors that go into forming a universe. If gravity were increased, the universe would crush in on itself; if gravity were decreased, the universe would disintegrate. A bit less nuclear force, and the stars would never ignite. However, the universe does exist, the earth did form, and humans did evolve far enough to marvel at the universe that birthed them. Thinking about the origins of humankind has made me realize the beauty of all that people have themselves created. The improbability of existence makes everything that much more remarkable.
Everything I see around me-my cat, my cup of tea, my hand-is all made of the same basic building blocks. All the atoms in the world began as hydrogen and "evolved" through nuclear fusion in the heart of stars. I love the unity it brings to life; everything is connected. For me, this only reinforces the profound beauty that I see in the universe. My new perspective on "life, the universe, and everything" gives me reassurance. Society has infinite problems, but scientifically, our universe is almost impossibly perfect. There are so many terrible things in the world, but because of the invisible forces that make it exist, it is beautiful. It is important to me to never lose this fascination with everything and the beauty I see in it. With all I have learned, that is the only thing I know for certain is impossible.
The prompt:Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Please write the quotation at the beginning of your essay.
My quote:"'Yes', I said to the little prince, 'whether it's a house or the stars or the desert, what makes them beautiful is invisible!'"
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince)
Since I started my Astronomy class this year, I haven't looked at the world the same way. Space and the universe have always held a certain attraction for me, but this class has vastly increased my fascination. Every day in class, I sit in the front row of the classroom, failing to conceal my sheer awe. How can I not be awestruck in learning that the light we see from the sun was produced in its center 100,000 years ago or that in a black hole the mass of a star 20 times bigger than the sun can compress itself into an area smaller than the nucleus of an atom? The universe constantly reminds me to appreciate the hidden beauty in life.
What I have learned about the physical makeup of the universe has led to more complex existential ponderings. I recently picked up Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku (mainly because it had the words "time travel" and "teleportation" on the cover, as well as a picture of the TARDIS). In the chapter on parallel universes, Kaku discusses the amazing suitability of our universe for supporting life. The fact that we even exist seems impossible when looking at all the factors that go into forming a universe. If gravity were increased, the universe would crush in on itself; if gravity were decreased, the universe would disintegrate. A bit less nuclear force, and the stars would never ignite. However, the universe does exist, the earth did form, and humans did evolve far enough to marvel at the universe that birthed them. Thinking about the origins of humankind has made me realize the beauty of all that people have themselves created. The improbability of existence makes everything that much more remarkable.
Everything I see around me-my cat, my cup of tea, my hand-is all made of the same basic building blocks. All the atoms in the world began as hydrogen and "evolved" through nuclear fusion in the heart of stars. I love the unity it brings to life; everything is connected. For me, this only reinforces the profound beauty that I see in the universe. My new perspective on "life, the universe, and everything" gives me reassurance. Society has infinite problems, but scientifically, our universe is almost impossibly perfect. There are so many terrible things in the world, but because of the invisible forces that make it exist, it is beautiful. It is important to me to never lose this fascination with everything and the beauty I see in it. With all I have learned, that is the only thing I know for certain is impossible.