Thursday, November 22, 2012

How Small We Really Are

On page 86, Oskar realized how relatively insignificant he was compared to the entire history of the universe. This really got me thinking because it makes a lot of sense. If I didn't exist, the world would just keep on spinning and nothing would change that drastically. Either a very influential person or an enormous amount of people would have to die in order for history to be that greatly impacted. Although Oskar was comforted by his father's point about moving a grain of sand, I still wasn't. It's more of an amazement than a fear of both how big and how old the universe is and will continue to be. And despite the fact that one human will not make a significant impact, the combined efforts of humanity as a whole will always shape the course of the Earth, and therefore the universe.

1 comment:

  1. This is an interesting point. I feel like Oskar's goal isn't to contribute as an individual, rather as part of a group. As you said, the efforts of everyone are what will guide the course of history, not just one person. This is what most likely motivates him to do what he's doing. I noticed that he never wants to be independent. He's always searching for someone to add to "the group", because that's really how he will find what he's looking for, and how the book will shape itself.

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