The other day as I was absently staring at the moon, it dawned on me just how big this world is.

We often remark what a small world it is, but really I don’t know how I feel about that statement.

In many senses, yes, our world is small. We live on a relatively small terrestrial planet that is orbiting around a relatively average/small star that is caught in the tide of our spiraling Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of known galaxies . . . so yes . . . we are small. But with that said, the universe and extended world beyond our blue planet are so massive, it scares some people to think about.

I have never been one to be afraid of vastness. That is one of the things that drew me to astronomy . . . the idea that the universe is so large we can’t even fathom how big it truly is, what it holds, or where and if it ends. I find comfort in the idea that there is so much unknown out there. The grand scale perspective helps to calm me down in the most stressful or anxiety-inducing of moments.

The funny thing is one of my greatest fears is being alone. Many people think that vastness and being alone are essentially the same thing, but to me, they are vastly different (pun intended). See . . . when I think of how big space is, I imagine with all that is out there, there has to be other life. Maybe there is a planet inhabited completely by dogs or a planet where plants have eyes or maybe Vulcans do actually exist. In all seriousness, I truly think that this universe is just too damn big for us to be alone. So to me, thinking about how big the universe is gives me this optimistic peace of mind.

I think all of us search for a way to know we are not alone. Some of us read books and fill our head with words written by others. Some of us go to dark theaters to watch movies in a room surrounded by people we will never talk to. Others use social media. And some of us stare up at the sky and imagine all the planets orbiting all the stars where there just might be someone or something else looking up at us.

I love my fellow Earthlings. I love sitting at a cafe among others and knowing that I am not alone. I love connecting with people and sharing in the human condition. And I love that our world is complex enough to be big and small at the same time.