Reply #310: Yup, that was me. [View All]

[Nothing Without Hope]

I always have loved astronomy - it stretches the mind in such a wonderful way and is filled with wonders, surprises, overwhelming and endlessly varied beauty, and constant reminders that the universe is greater and more fully of mysteries than we know. As a scientist, I love that. I crave the sense of awe as well as the comprehension of how things work.

There's a perfect quote from Einstein for this moment, but the book that has it is outside in the car and it's cold. I'll give it to you another night. Instead, here's another Einstein quote, one of my favorites, which is not quite as perfectly on target but is always good to ponder:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.—Albert Einstein