A Humbling Experience

The Writer’s Advice

The picture that I have attached above aptly describes what my time in the class has made me feel.  Prior to Astro 201, I had very little knowledge about the workings of our Universe.  And while I’m not saying that a single 200-level course has made me anything even resembling an expert, I feel that I now have enough of a background to sound mildly competent in an astronomy-related conversation.  While this amateur-level understanding is definitely something that I appreciate, I really enjoy how humbling this class has been.  I’ve always known that we (Earth, that is) are tiny.  Insignificant is a word that sounds a bit harsh, but compared to the grand scheme of the universe that we and so unfathomably many other worlds inhabit, it does a pretty good job of putting Earth in perspective.  If nothing else, Astro 201 has really made me appreciate just how little anything we do here on Earth affects the rest of the universe.  Learning about all of the amazing things that happen in our universe is something that everyone should have the privilege of experiencing, because it goes a long way in making a person appreciate the time they are given here on Earth, and how infinitely short that time really is.  This is all a bit deep, but Astro 201 really has given me a much more enhanced perspective on my place here, as well as a newfound appreciation for just what that place means.