Last night, I traveled up to Iowa City to see Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson with two of my friends. He was fantastic. He brought the humor, the science, the passion that he is known for. It was a wonderful night, especially after a long day at work and learning about the Boston Marathon Attack.
Near the end of his talk, Dr. Tyson reminded us all of something incredibly important that transcends everything he had talked about before. Invoking the spirit of Carl Sagan, he showed the audience a photo (seen below) that the Cassini probe took of a Saturn-solar eclipse. Saturn was sitting in front of the sun, creating an eerie glow around the planet and its rings. But hidden off to the left of the rings was, as Sagan so famously called it, the Pale Blue Dot.
It is Earth.
Dr. Tyson reminded us, as his mentor Carl Sagan did, that on that tiny pale blue dot exists everything you have ever known, including all the rulers, bloodshed, and accomplishments of history. It even includes the tragedy of Boston. When we look at the Pale Blue Dot, we must remember to be humble, to treat each other with kindness, and to remember that we are all a part of a greater universe.
When we teach people that, let us hope that they understand the importance of this life on Earth and make it the best one they can. If we teach this way, we can hopefully snuff out the evil that exists and lingers in our world. And hopefully never have another Boston attack again.
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