(Cosmology)

For all I know, I can't hope to grasp much about the universe even if I could live for a billion years. In the face of such an unknown, I am just a breathing sample of ignorance. But since I am breathing, I can't give up seeking knowledge about all things that may satisfy my curiosity.

I am not alone on the cosmological path, of course.

"There will come a time when our descendants will be amazed that we did not know things that are so plain to them … Many discoveries are reserved for ages still to come, when memories of us will have been effaced." (Seneca, "Natural Questions")

I am listening to you, my friend. Yes, Seneca is my friend, never mind the fact that he is not my contemporary, living from circa 4 BCE to 65 CE.

Stoic philosopher Seneca unapologetically pursued knowledge, truth, and ethical perfection until the day he committed suicide, as ordered by his former student, the Roman Emperor Nero. Life is fragile, especially under tyranny. *

Yet, Seneca remains immortal to me, thanks to his thought-provoking works, which open my window to the universe. I know he won't take me as his student, and my name isn't Nero anyway. Generously though, he lets me be with him when I have the universe on my mind.

I can't be more humble, experiencing the vicissitudes of life on a blue dot called Earth.

Author: renqiulan

* Disobeying Nero could have resulted in dire consequences for his family. By the way, Seneca was allegedly involved in a conspiracy against the Roman Emperor.