Story of the Year
Pale Blue Dot (Interlude)
[Carl Sagan: Pale Blue Dot]
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena
On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of
Every human being who ever was, lived out their lives
Thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines
Every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every hero and coward
Every creator and destroyer of civilization
Every saint and sinner in the history of our species
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that
In glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance
The delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe
Are challenged by this point of pale light
And underscores our responsibility and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot