Every atom in our bodies was once inside a star.

Every atom in our bodies was once inside a star. And in time, each one will return whence it came. This transient consciousness which we think of as “self” exists, like an infinitesimal spark in the vast darkness of night, for the briefest of moments in the life of the Universe. In 13 billion years of nothingness, my consciousness comes into being and share this microscopic moment of awareness with a few other self conscious beings whom I have the good fortune to call friends.

I am in awe of the improbability of such happenstance and am fully cognizant that our consciousness is a neurochemical manifestation of our brains. It will not survive our bodies, thus I treasure them all because I appreciate the brevity and uniqueness of our acquaintance. Some people call this Fate but I have no need for a word laden with superstitious notions, for I see the Universe as it is, not as I wish it to be. I am still awestruck by its wonders without needing to believe in supernatural beings or divine interventions. In fact, the more I understand, the less I am inclined to believe. I would venture to assert that the more someone believes in the ideas of spirits, netherworlds, heavens and other absurdities, the more he is blinded from the true beauty and majesty of the Universe and our existence.

I seek the one soul that resonates with the same eternal echoes that my heart hears. I have found her resonance but she has not heard mine. Despite this I consider myself fortunate as many would go through their brief journeys and not have heard the cosmic song.

I am constantly baffled and angered by avarice, hatred, pettiness, fear & indolence. The obsessions with wealth and vanity are obscene. The derelictions of our moral duties to others are despicable. These things are not worthy of our heritage. Though we are only these tiny sparks of light in an eternity of darkness, there is no reason our lives should not shine as bright as stars. After all, that’s what we are made of. We are, literally, star-born.