• ForgetReddit@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What if an intelligent species was born, thrived, and perished in that galaxy? What if thousands had?

    Humanity will one day be gone - will anyone out there even know we existed? Shouldn’t this awareness of our insignificance be unbearable? Shouldn’t I be sleeping right now?

    • TheBenCommandments@infosec.pub
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      1 year ago

      Awareness of our insignificance is incredibly freeing. It means that you get to assign your own purpose to life because that’s all it matters to.

      As long as you’re not infringing upon the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness of others, then everything else is completely up to you! Have fun! Play video games! Eat great food! Make others happy! And don’t worry about your mistakes or being humiliated because none of that really matters after you’re gone.

      In the end, only you can make your life worth living.

      • arefx@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        In the end, only you can make your life worth living.

        Very true words that took me far too long to find out. I used to be such an angry bitter person.

    • habanhero@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Shouldn’t this awareness of our insignificance be unbearable?

      Why would it be? I personally find it humbling.

      • fiah
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        1 year ago

        some people find it incredibly depressing to realize that nothing they do matters at all, when considered in the context of the entire the universe

        • Zerfallen@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Those people need to check their ego and recalibrate to find contentment. Or double-down on their preferred alternative reality.

    • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      I always think we are such rare combinations of molecules. And we are even able to see how precious and rare all lifeforms are. Very likely there is nothing like that out there.

      And on top of that we are the only known combination of molecules which theoretically could protect complex life, even beyond the lifespan of earth or even our galaxy. But we don’t see us as the ones who could have protected that freak of chance. Instead we bicker and perish and the universe will with high probability never see anything like that again.

    • hoshikarakitaridia@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      I hope I understand correctly but do you mean a map of specific objects or phenomena that different research groups are looking at?

      That would be hell of a lot of work but it wouldn’t only be pretty, it would help the research to make sure they don’t miss anything. Because you know, there’s kind of a lot of shit out there.

      • KnightontheSun@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        As a yout, I had a poster that showed the solar system, then the galaxy, then the local group and so on until it showed our visible universe. Maybe out of a National Geographic?

        Anyhow, I found it fascinating and still do. A newer version of that would be neato.

  • Jeredin@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    👨‍🚀 Wait, it’s black holes all the way back?

    🔫👨‍🚀

    Some point to Dark Matter (heh) but I’m a RMOND kind of guy, so I’m team Black Holes.

      • Jeredin@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Galaxies are too advanced for their supposed age, given our current galaxy formation predictions. Some scientists believe Dark Matter played an early role but there’s a few theories about early black holes and as I don’t believe Dark Matter exists, I also believe black holes (+asymmetrical big bang + antimatter interactions + strong electromagnetic fields) were the seeds for early galaxy formations.