Mental Health / Self-improvement
Does Seeing the Milky Way Make You Feel Depressed…or Delighted?
Being an atom, or a citizen of the universe
In The Divine Milieu, Teilhard de Chardin praises people who, “quite naturally and unaffectedly, live in the explicit consciousness of being an atom or a citizen of the universe.”
When you gaze up at the vast Milky Way, do you feel insignificant, or are you thrilled by being part of such a wondrous phenomenon?
If you’re in the latter group, kudos. You’ve got the appropriate attitude to maintain your emotional balance and equanimity.
If you’re in the former, perhaps consider practicing humility.
It’s not self-abasement. True humility means having a right-sized opinion of yourself in relation to other people, other creatures, and all things.
Humility helps us face life’s upheavals without the suffering that accompanies “this type of thing shouldn’t happen to me.”
We control our success or failure, somewhat — although circumstance plays a larger role than we acknowledge.
In the end, even the stars die.
Live now.