Dangerous Creatures and Horrible Setbacks The most dangerous creatures on our planet today are the human beings. The most terrible setback in our quest to find our place in the universe came when, centuries ago, we learned how to harness nuclear power. Now we have, for the first time in human history, the power to transform the face of the planet and its climate—or destroy it. In other words, we are at the mercy of technology in ways we never were before. And this has never happened in the history of the world. Never. It is a sobering thought to contemplate. We have not had these powers before, and we are doing our very best to put our heads in a noose. # HOW TO FIND YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE "We must become the cosmos," said Werner Heisenberg. Our technology, at our command, could take us to the stars. We could live on other planets if we choose. But it's all a matter of where we want to live, who we want to be. In short, we're looking for our place. We could find the right place and the right people and create an incredible new type of world. And we could turn this new world into the real world. "Wherever we happen to be, now or in the future, whether in space or on a new planet, whether on the surface of the Earth or in the depths of a deep ocean, the universe is not only of interest to us. We are, or will be, a part of it." — _Carl Sagan_ I am convinced that it is still possible for us to make changes in our destiny. We may not have as much time as we thought, but there is still time. The choice is ours. # HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT PLACE "Finding a place you love is the first step toward living a life you love." — _Henry David Thoreau_ "What is in us that we're not free of what we are? What is it that can't be gotten rid of that gets in the way of every new thing we want to be?" — _Jon Kabat-Zinn_ We must learn to make choices. We must be willing to make sacrifices. We must learn how to change. It will be hard. In my own life, I've found that there are no easy ways to change—and there's no use looking for them. "If we are going to change our lives we must begin by being willing to give up the things we love. It doesn't mean we're giving up, but maybe we're looking at what we've been spending so much time and energy on to see if it's really worth it." _It has to be worth it._ We have all the talent, the skills, and the resources we could ever need. In fact, we have more than we need. There's so much out there to explore and learn, so many things to be done, so many great projects to do. We can get caught up in the endless details of life. And in the pressure to keep up, we often forget how wonderful it is just to live. And how much there is to learn. We're afraid of the unknown, of the risks we face and of what the future will bring. We don't know what to do, so we do nothing. We want to be safe. In the great quest for truth and beauty, we are all in it together. There is no reason to think we can't find the right place for ourselves. For myself, I like to find things that interest me—and to find the courage to do them. I think it helps if you look for a cause that you are passionate about. You can only do things you feel strongly about, and find a passion that lights you up, gives you a sense of purpose. That's when you will find your place in the world. "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." — _Norman Vincent Peale_ It's hard to change. For some people, it's impossible. I try to think about my goals and my passions every day. Sometimes I feel better. Sometimes I feel a little better. Most of the time I feel about the same. But the important thing is to be active. If there's something I want to do, it may be easier to make some changes, whether it's getting out of bed earlier or spending more time with my family. All it takes is a little effort. We have all the resources we need. We can create a better world for ourselves. We can find the right place for us. The right place will help us to change our lives. It's like this: if you're going to work on a bridge, you might do better if you understand that, to some extent, the bridge is yours. If you treat the project like your personal kingdom, you're more likely to get what you want. "When you're on your own, you think very well, and there are fewer distractions." — _Cheryl Strayed_ Some people turn to art or religion, or another activity, to feel comfortable in their life. This is like throwing yourself into a very large project that is not yours, working hard to shape it and make it better, and then losing interest in it and finding something else to replace it. We need to make choices. Our own needs are sometimes in conflict with others' needs. Life often provides hard choices. There's no way around it. We may have to make sacrifices. And we may never be completely happy, no matter what we do. But as I've said before, we should keep moving toward the things we care about. "It's one thing to have an idea, but quite another to realize it." — _Benjamin Disraeli_ There are so many things in the universe to see and to learn about. We have so many opportunities. The world is full of wonders. There's so much beauty to see. It's a mystery, an adventure, an endless universe—and we're just a part of it. So what are we to do? # CHAPTER 10: GOING HOME The universe began with a bang, as John Wheeler put it. And will end with a gigantic explosion, the ultimate end of space and time. But no matter where we are and no matter what we're doing, the universe is always present. It is everywhere and it is always there. We can never be lost to it. So we have to try to live by something more important than the material world. Our values are the things that are going to keep us going. If we can do that, we can find our place in the universe. "There is no escaping the universe. It will continue to unfold. It will continue to make a larger and larger picture, and in the end it will just get to its own fullness, and there will be no more." _—Steven Weinberg_ When you look at a field of flowers, it can be so beautiful and so real. And yet, if you look at one flower, say a violet, you can lose sight of the others. It's like life: sometimes you get lost in the details, or you focus on one little thing and it becomes a fixation. We have to develop the art of living. The only way to do that is to go home to ourselves. We can go home to our values, our goals, and our desires. We can go home to our place in the universe. If you're here, you're here. The stars have always been here. If you want to know the name of the wind, listen to the sound of your own breathing. The trees have always been here. The flowers and the stars are always right there. But they can slip away from us if we get lost in them. When I think of home, I think of the great big stars and the trees and the stars and everything that is still possible. I think of the stars and the mountains and the ocean. I try to think of things that are bigger than my smallness. And I try to bring this home to myself. This sense of being one with everything. If you're here, you're here. And everything that happens to you is a part of you. The stars and the sky, the rain and the trees, the mountains and the earth, the oceans and the stars and everything that's still possible. We have the power to move in space and time. Our thoughts and actions can transform the entire universe. I try to think of this. I try to find my place in the universe. "In the presence of beauty, our souls are enlarged." — _Kahlil Gibran_ The universe continues to grow. There is nothing else to do but to be in it. The stars have always been here. The trees have always been here. The flowers and the stars are always right there. But they can slip away from us if we get lost in them. We can do anything. I know it's hard, but we can. We can go home to ourselves. We can go home to our