So, what is it?

"When I consider the stars - the work of your fingers, I ask what is a man, that you are mindful of him?"


Monumental Indifference.
That's how one film maker defined the way the universe looks upon us this week - it is indifferent to our being here.

The hard data seems to be irrefutable. In a place where something like the equivalent of millions of thermonuclear explosions everyday take place inside our sun, and viruses smite people on mass arbitrarily, bringing death, sorrow and total carnage to society, who can argue with that?
So, it may be surprising to see that the same film maker goes on to say that life is really worthwhile - that we actually do count, and what we do has value.

Why?

Werner Hertzog (quoted above) would no doubt speak about the delight of being curious and engaging with what we find, but his glances at reality, whether through his camera lens or in his comments, touch upon something that should cause us to pause for thought.

Simply saying something has a point 'because it's there' is fine, but it shouldn't end there - if we're truly curious, it's going to mean asking harder questions and seeking deeper answers.

We've all had to become far more conscientious about our own actions recently - what we do and what we believe has huge bearing now upon those around us, but if we're honest, we know that's always the case - when we do what is good or evil, the consequences ripple out and can cause caring or destructive results.

It's also true that however 'nice' we may wish things to be, we harbour this nasty propensity to do harm, but unlike the universe, it's not something we can truly be indifferent about (unless we detach our humanity), and that says so much about the real 'why' of our being here.

When we're confronted with what our cruelty does, we know that we're as broken as the damage we have done, and that tells us something much bigger than the apparent 'emptiness' of the vastness of space is required to touch something that defies our standard 'weights and measures' - the human soul. That's no doubt why Jesus spoke about this essence of us being the most valuable thing in the natural realm (Mark 8 :36) - it is the vehicle that drives us towards so much more, or less, if we abuse it's raw data. That's why we say there's more to us, even in the face of the 'indifference' we seemingly observe all around.

One of the things that gets me up most mornings is beauty. The way light playfully spreads colour in the sky or the world, to allow an often fleeting sight that makes the familiar fresh and new, or the manner in which the elements combine to blanket the moors in a sea of still mist or dramatic sky-scapes is staggering, and that's just looking at the world from my window, before I've begun to get out amongst it.
There's a great deal more to unpack there, but as you spend time at home, take a moment to think on this. It can lead to some pretty deep thoughts.

The present circumstances grant us a window of opportunity to look harder, think deeper, than time often allows, so let's not waste it. Consider what life, the universe and everything is really trying to say to each of us.

Are we listening?