Philosophy and experience




Ah, the “Extraterrestrial” incident. Though it occurred a while ago, I still remember it in good detail. Yet, I ponder whether or not the event even happened as well. I have come up with 3 theories about the event. One, the event was a dream. Next, it wasn’t a dream, it actually happened. Last, it was something else, neither a dream nor reality. But, I am always able to find flaws in these theories.

I had never seen one before, so if it was a dream, how would my mind know to create that particular image while I was asleep. If it was real, why was there nothing about it on the news the next day. And as for the third theory, well that just seems absurd. Now, you may be asking “What happened? What is this guy talking about?” Well, without further adieu, here it is. When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I thought I saw a supernova explode.

Yes, a supernova. A large explosion of one giant, old star into a billion or more smaller stars, and I saw it from my bedroom window. One cool spring morning, the sun had yet to arise. The stars were glowing lively and brightly. I suddenly opened my eyes, leaned forward towards my bedroom window. There it was, in all of it’s extraterrestrial glory.

A giant white swirl of magnificent light known as a supernova. It was just, floating there, in the starry sky. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I gazed in disbelief. At the time, I was too surprised to wake anyone else. It swirled into a ball and then…BOOM! It exploded. Stars flew all in every direction. It was, well, awesome.

Although, it didn’t make any noise, it was a silent burst of light. Now when I think back to it, I remember dramatic orchestra music playing as it happens, of course it wasn’t playing when it happened. But that’s just how I remember it. Once it had exploded, The sun was shining a golden color that of which I had seen never before. The light drifted away, to where I couldn’t see it.

I went and woke up my mom. I told her what I saw, but she didn’t believe me. I remember a month or two later I saw something on the history channel about supernovas. That’s when I knew what it was. In a way, it was a renaissance, a rebirth, a…new beginning. Both for me and my beliefs of the universe forever, and for all of those stars.

Regardless of everything else I learned that day, and whether or not the supernova event actually happened, I learned a lesson more valuable than any other. It’s what I believe to be the meaning of life. The creation, the recreation of life. Birth, rebirth, new life entering the very atmosphere and existence which we take for granted. That a single life taken by another is a tragedy, significant and insignificant at the very same time. Life isn’t about money, or quantity of material pleasures.


It seems to me now, something I couldn’t understand when I was younger. We are one. We are all the microscopic cell particles of a being much larger than us. And they are as well. This cycle repeats endlessly. Our cells are within this same cycle as well. When we take other lives, we are like bacteria. A disease. We are killing the greater being which we create. And that, truly is…a tragedy.