The Sky and Above

When one looks to the night sky it is a common to see thousands upon thousands of twinkling stars scatter in a bluish-black background. We stare upwards, we think we ponder, we question, we reason, we do all we can yet we are still just a speck in the universe. One of the most interesting laws that has been placed upon us that has been impossible for us to change is that of gravity. Throughout existence, mankind has struggled to break the reaches of gravity, to travel into the sky and into space, to take a deeper look into the outside world. We have numerous accounts of people who tried to do so, how they failed at times and succeeded as well only to be brought back to earth.

One of the earlier accounts would be the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, in which these two attempted to escape for the Isle of Crete. Using simple materials and utensils, Daedalus was able to construct two sets of makeshift wings for which he and his son could escape with. After attaching the wings onto his son, Daedalus told his son not to fly too high otherwise the wings would melt in the heat of the sun and also not to fly not too close to the sea so that they waves would not drag him down. There are many translations of the story and its origin but there is one uniting ending that has never changed. Icarus, feeling the wind and freedom flowing through his wings, flew higher and higher until Daedalus could no longer see him. Within a matter of seconds, the wings began to melt and Icarus plummeted to the rocky depths of the sea.

This brings about the eternal question that is asked everyday. Why? Why were we given this boundary that can never be broken? Why are we seemingly destined to always remain on earth? Why do people such as Isaac Asimov create novels about the Great Beyond (besides the money aspect of the situation)? Why is this so enticing? Is it the fact that there is alway something unattainable in the world for us? That there will always be some area where we can never reach? A quote that I heard touches briefly on these questions. "The more we learn about the universe around us, the more we realize how little we truly know." Even though we surround ourselves with new knowledge everyday, we learn something new, there is still so much that we don't know out there.

Humanity continues to seek out what is in space, what is in our skies, what happens inside our earth, how our body changes and adapts to different environments, what actually occurs in space, what will happen in the future, and other such questions. However, there is one problem that we still haven't solved and will not solve if we continue to look forward and that is how we choose to deal with the now. Instead of focusing on what will happen tomorrow or the next week or next month, the present would be a much more healthy and efficient way of looking at things. Too much time is spent on figuring out how to live later instead of living right now. An example of this would be New Year's Resolutions and how this custom is treated. Often times people proclaim that they will take on a new dietary program or work out more but in reality, why did they wait this long? Why choose to wait another 363 days to change something about themselves? After all, they could do it earlier instead of waiting for a set date to begin change. It happens all around us each day yet we let it go unnoticed. Rather than focusing on larger accomplishments and amazing end results, the simplicity of the situation can be solved by looking towards the small ways and small changes that we can make. Whether it be taking time out of your day to enjoy where you are, who you know you can depend on, the feeling that you can be free and that this is who you are can be some of the most relaxing things you can do. Ignoring the past and what happened then and creating a better present for yourself is a much wiser way of spending your time and living your life to the fullest. Though there will be hard times in your life, you can always remember the freedom that you still have and enjoy the silence and beauty of a starry night sky.