We are Stardust

My professor today was singing Joni Mitchell as he was getting ready to start the class up. I'm not all too much of a fan, so I was unfamiliar with the lyrics, but one line stood out to me.

"We are stardust."

As cheesy as it is to focus on something so metaphysical, it truly caught my attention.

I love space and have always been fascinated by our universe. I find it so impossible to comprehend in every way--how we got here, what lies beyond the boundaries, where the boundaries are, the sheer magnitude of our universe, life beyond our tiny speck of existence, etc. Although I'm sure I've forgotten many of the things I was once told, several have stuck with me to this day. One thing I remember being taught is that every atom in existence, every part of our being, was one part of a star. The air we breathe, the food we eat, our skin and bones and heart and brain, all of it. Everything we know was once part of that celestial sphere we see as so intangible and so distant.

How can it be that the most incomprehensible, unrelatable, distant things are what created us? Stars, those massive burning superclouds are the same as us, and we are the same as them. It's just something odd to think about.

Additionally, the line is so simple. So definitive. There's no doubt, no logic that leads to it--just the statement. And I mean, it IS a fact that we are the particles of stars, but we never think of ourselves that way. And so many of us, when thinking about the universe, look at ourselves as these tiny, infinitesimal grains with no significance. But I feel that this lyric can inspire just the opposite.

We are stars. We are that which has mesmerized and stunned and fascinated billions of people for millions of years. We create solar systems and galaxies. We shine and when together, we can create something truly beautiful and truly magnificent. We are worlds within ourselves. We are our own worlds. We can learn every corner of ourselves, yet we are also bigger and more than we can ever comprehend.

I guess my message is this: screw the rest of the universe. Focus on your own world. The people you meet, the lives you become a part of, those form a universe. And our existence is more than we can imagine. We are not infinitesimal. We have the power to form worlds and change lives and shape futures and create true beauty. If I had never had just one of my siblings or one of my friends in my life, I know I would not be the same person. Every person is powerful, influential, consequential.

So when in doubt, think of one inside joke you have with your best friend. Think of one home video your parents filmed. Think of one present you gave someone. Remember the memories you've been a part of and know that you have contributed to a universe bigger than you know. We don't have to be world famous to be important or significant. We are stardust.