LIM, Meredith Raine L.

Now that I know about how vast and incredible the universe is, it has definitely
changed my perspective on myself and on the Earth. In Fr Ben Nebres’s lecture, he
mentioned how even the smallest of deviations in things such as the ratio of matter to
antimatter would completely alter the course of life, either making it possible or impossible.
Furthermore, he also notes how we are practically created from the stars in the sky and
about how the four fundamental forces of the universe (gravity, electromagnetism, weak
force, and strong force) work together in order to make life possible.

When it comes to how I view myself, I feel somewhat relieved. I can recount
numerous times in my life wherein I would sit down, stare off into space, and think, “Do I
really matter? What if I was simply an accident?”. They were definitely very hard times and it
would sometimes put off my mood for weeks on end. However, the lecture made me realize
that yes, I do matter. I am not an accident. I am in fact a part of a chance. A chance for life to
thrive and a chance for it to continue despite how short and small it is in the face of the
universe. Furthermore, the lecture has also made me think about mortality. It has made me
realize that in the perspective of the universe, my life is so small and insignificant and that
death can simply happen in the blink of an eye. Which is why, I feel inspired to start living my
life in a way I won’t regret. Just because it is small and insignificant to the universe, it doesn’t
mean it has to be small and insignificant to me.

When it comes to the Earth, I’ve realized how perfect it is for humans. While I am
writing this essay, I am noticing how the Earth’s gravity feels on me and recalling how I felt
when I stepped outside this morning. Everything is perfect, the gravity isn’t so heavy that I
struggle to stand from my chair or to walk and, despite it being quite hot a while ago, I was
able to take shelter from it inside of air conditioned rooms. But then again, how did we come
to have air conditioning and rooms? Isn’t it because of how humans decided to study and
explore what materials the Earth had to offer? It seems to me that we are deeply loved by
the Earth and it breaks my heart to remember how we treat it in return.
References:
Areté Ateneo. (2020, July 6). Magisterial Lectures | Fr Bienvenido Nebres SJ - An Amazing
and Mysterious Universe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQpaSNBsCWs&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=
Aret%C3%A9Ateneo