Word High July: Bughaw

The Pale Blue Dot punctures its vast obsidian canvas like a pinprick; tiny and hard to see. Surrounding it, lies a vast expanse of emptiness; stretching out impossibly far beyond all else. It isn’t alone, however, every now and again, the same black tapestry is marred by other dots of other colours; of other sizes and other forms. But our dot stands out.

On closer inspection our dot, a blue speck on a chalkboard, is actually not a dot at all. Our dot is more akin to a blue marble, spherical in shape, which spins and rotates around a star with incomprehensible force; it’s momentum unhindered since it’s creation, some 4.2 billion years ago. Unbeknownst to all the other marbles, dwelling as they do in the far reaches of space, this blue marble is home to something even smaller still. On it’s surface, life grows and lives, prospers and dies. On the surface, is where we find ourselves living.

Just as this blue planet, this blue marble, this pale blue dot, is majestic in its form, so is life. There is nothing more complex in science; nothing more interesting to philosophers, poets, and scholars. The arrays it takes, the things it creates, the life is unquestionably important and extravagantly gorgeous.

In life though, even smaller still, there is something else. There is fear, and doubt, and worry. There is stress, and anger, and malice. As incredible and breathtaking as life is, we squander it. We are content to be unhappy, to be unfulfilled. We are jealous of each other, envious of each other, and, even worse, we are prejudice and judgmental of each other. Life was not designed to be this way. Life is glorious, beguiling and, in the grand scheme of things… Rare. Try to consider us here, all together, on this blue planet, this blue marble, this pale blue dot. We are such a small part of a more grandiose cosmos, yet we can just as beautiful as the whole of it, if we will it.

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This is entry #6 for the WordHigh July Challenge of 30 Beautiful Filipino Words! It isn’t my best piece, by any stretch, but it was written after an emotionally draining day and I just wanted to submit something as not to break my chain. As you can tell, it’s been inspired by Carl Sagans “Pale Blue Dot”, but it’s also inspired by recent upset; caused by stress and doubts, which really needn’t exist… If only we were more full of life and better with each other, and better with ourselves. Still, I hope you find some enjoyment from it!