by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: April 29, 2010

Starry nights give birth to many philosophical thoughts as we stare at the vast expanse of the night sky.  There have been countless times when people have stretched out on the grass, looking up at the countless stars, and wondered...  Yes, we have wondered about where we stand in the vast scheme of things?  Here we are, on this small, lonely planet, reaching out and wondering whether or not there is anyone there, who are doing the same thing... looking back and thinking the same thoughts?

Or we may look out towards the stars and wonder about it all, who actually created what we are seeing? Who created the stars, galaxies planets? Who created the Milky Way, the meteors and comets, and who created the sun and moon?  Then the question turns to who created 'us', human beings?  And for what reason?  Why are we here and why where we placed here?  These questions, bombard our minds, but they are questions that we can simply never answer.

The answers may be tantalisingly close, but always it seems, just out of our reach, and so we are left to ponder on the deep, philosophical questions that have haunted mankind for eons. Starry nights have always been the trigger, if you like, that has sparked deep-thinking on the cosmos, on whether God exists or not, whether there be angels and archangels watching over us, and even whether or not there is extra terrestrial life in other parts of that same sky that we view, or even further away?

Let there be no doubt whatsoever, that the questions we think about, when viewing a starry sky, are questions that seem to have been programmed into our DNA.  They are akin to an adopted child, asking the question about his or her true parentage.. Wondering who they where, what did they look like, etc etc. Human beings have a deep-seated need to know.  We need to know where we stand, what we are here for, and who made us in the first place?

We need to know everything about our past, our present, and particularly our future on this planet. Human beings are afraid of the unknown, we are afraid of what may lay 'out there' in the vastness of space. We are afraid of a future that has not happened yet.  And we are afraid about whether or not we, and those that follow us, will survive whatever will happen to us. 

A vast range of thoughts enter our minds when we view starry nights, and it is as if those thoughts are automatically pre-programmed into us to make us wonder. Viewing a starry night, seems to trigger off those thoughts, that can branch out into so many directions. And we all become philosophers when we view a sky full of stars. 

Maybe one day, the answers we seek may be given to us...when we are ready to accept and receive them that is. But, until that day comes, we as the human race, will continue to stare in wonder, as we have done for centuries. Yes, we will stare, and wonder about our place in the grand scheme of things.

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