Tiny Passengers

So. I know I'm not the only person who has ever thought this. Or, at least I can't imagine I am. I'll explain - bear with me.


As I mentioned in my first post, I often think about life, the universe, etc. It's just something I do. I can't help but consider all the possibilities that could explain this life as we know it. If you just accept life on Earth just as it is, it almost seems too...simple. Don't get me wrong, life is amazing and so complex. Who knows. Maybe I'm just searching for a different explanation for the same reason I'm so intrigued by the supernatural and conspiracy and the like.


Anyway. I saw this picture today - http://i.imgur.com/moWge.jpg. Now, when you first look at it, you're probably going to think (...unless you're some kind of science junkie) that this is a picture of a canyon of some sort, either somewhere here on Earth or some other observable planet. But, I will tell you, you are wrong. This is what a micro-crack in a piece of steel looks like under an electron microscope. Crazy right!? This got me thinking (just like all the other millions of times I've thought about this...) that it's strange how life seems too mimic itself on so many levels. For example, this picture. From our normal perspective through our normal eyesight, a piece of steel, well, looks like steel. But, when you look closely, it becomes something totally different. A whole new, [possibly] undiscovered world.  Much like a view of the Earth from a distance, it appears to be just a big blue ball with some green and brown splattered about. But, when you look up close, there are mountains, and rivers, canyons, islands. And, even closer - buildings, cars, animals, people. And, much, much closer - cells, molecules, atoms. And, so forth. 


My original thought here, the reason for this post is - what if the universe as we know and are able to see it are part of a much larger being or object? The way I see it is, the Earth [and other planets] is like an electron circling the nucleus [the Sun, or stars, in general...] of an atom [Solar Systems] and each solar system is part of the greater cell or molecule [galaxies] and each galaxy makes up the even greater, complex being or object [the universe]...? And, the mysterious 'dark matter' that fills most of the gap between galaxies, the unexplained force holding the universe together, is much like the force that holds us, and other entities and objects together at an atomic level...? And, we, humans (and, I guess, other animals, etc.) are just tiny, tiny passengers. Invaders overtaking but a particle of that which makes up something much greater than we could ever comprehend. Maybe if this greater being took out his microscope and looked down upon us, he would see nothing more than a bacteria, a virus. And, he would do his best to eradicate us. Rid himself of that which invades his body and threatens his health, his life, his very existence. Or, hell, for all we know, our known universe and beyond could simply be that which makes up a mole on the ass of some superior, ultra-cosmic bottom feeder. But, even if life and the universe are just as we have observed and deduced and defined, it's still vast, and seemingly endless, and, so far as we know, we are all alone. How purposeless and insignificant are we..?


You may be thinking that I'm just talking out my ass. That I know nothing. That I'm crazy. That my ideas are absurd, maybe even childish in nature. But, you know what - that's just fine. Some of the greatest thinkers in history were thought to be crazy, hysterical even, met with much cynicism and skepticism. Sometimes, they were even wrong. But, where would the world be without them? Now, I'm not putting myself on the same level as any of history's great philosophers. Maybe no thought of mine will ever be considered of value or laudable, make it into the history books, and change the world. But, I use my mind, and think for myself. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself to what you have dedicated your mind today? Plus, how boring would life be without some sort of imagination. I mean, it's imagination that brought us TV, computers, football, that got us to the moon and made it possible to create satellites that have nearly traveled to the ends of our galaxy. Fascinating. 


I guess, the way I see it, if we never unravel the mystery of the origins of the universe or discover the true meaning of life, when my life is coming to an end, there will be a small part of me remaining that hopes that death is not the end, and the answers will be afforded me in an afterlife, and, moreover, I trust I'll be able to look back and say, as a passenger on this vessel, a tiny marble in the makeup of the universe - the Earth - traveling at unknown speeds through the ether, that I truly enjoyed the ride. And, if I die, and that's it. Then, I guess, who cares. I'm dead :)