For me, personally, the photography of Europa from the Galileo probe has probably impacted my view of what life is and what it means more than anything else. The idea of all those millions of generations of sapient beings down there, under kilometers of ice for billions of years really reminds me of how lucky we are to have what we have as a species. It's a stark reminder of how far sheer luck has taken us, even if there ultimately ends up being nothing down there.
It’s a B&W. A terribly malnourished little girl about two years old, abandoned by her family lays on the ground and will not last long. Her eyes big, her flesh barely on her bones. A look of desolation. War and famine have taken their toll. As you look it’s not only her terrible state that grabs your eye. It’s the huge vulture also in the picture sitting not far away waiting for this child to die. It is reported the photographer later committed suicide.
That photo of earth reminds me how insignificant we all are in the universe.
It reminds me that we live for an incredible short period of time and we should enjoy every last moment that we have. Because there is no greater purpose, there is just time.
Challenger disaster...hug in Times sqaure at end of WW II...naked small girl running, screaming in Vietnam...John John saluting the casket of his dad, JFK, the day of the funeral...9/11 plane hitting Twin Towers...
