Life should carry more meaning than the facts would bear. Which facts were these: we occupied a tiny corner of the universe, minor planet orbiting a minor star, in an even tinier corner of cosmological time. Still we wanted all of it, the sun and the moon and the firmament that held them, to be about us. This want had been bred into humanity, selected by nature, so it must have served some purpose once, but it had long outlived its usefulness… What was needed now was to know.
— Christopher Beha, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts: A Novel (Tin House Books, May 5, 2020)
Notes:
- Christopher Beha’s “The Index of Self-Destructive Acts: A Novel” is a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award
- Photo: NASA picture of earth (Smithsonian Magazine)
- Post Title & Inspiration: Aldous Huxley: “It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.”
So beautiful passage… Thank you dear Dave, Love, nia
It is. Thanks Nia.
We may never know only the tiniest bit
Redo : we may never know even the tiniest bit )
And that, is the punch line.
Realizing that it’s not all about us is our only hope.
Look who rolled off the wrong side of the bed this morning!
Laughing…nahhh, just trying to be realistic.
Come on. You can’t start doing that!
How surprised some might be to recognize that they are not the center of the universe and how much larger their wonder would be if they did.
And THAT, is the TRUTH
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Tiny corner of the Universe!! … “What was needed now was to know.” — Christopher Beha, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts: A Novel (Tin House Books, May 5, 2020).