Develop Your Cosmic Perspective

I mean, just look at it...

Another mind-boggling image is now known as the "Webb Deep Field."

This image is the deepest image of the universe to date. These spots of light are all individual galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of stars.

And this image is in approximately the same space of sky as a grain of sand held at arm's length. In just that tiny sliver of the universe, there's immense beauty.

Now, this letter isn't about the James Webb per se, but it's a great segue into today's topic. That is, developing your own cosmic perspective.

I've found that incorporating this frame of mind into my life and work has had three profound impacts

1. You'll get away from the mundane.
2. You'll be inspired to ask questions.
3. You'll gain perspective on your worries and anxieties.

What Is the Cosmic Perspective

"Embracing cosmic realities can give us a more enlightened view of human life." -- Neil deGrasse Tyson

Psychologists who have worked with astronauts upon their return from the International Space Station reported a significant cognitive shift in their behavior. This has been subsequently referred to as "overview perspective."

Former NASA astronaut Ron Garan explained it in the following dialogue:

As I approached the top of this arc, it was as if time stood still, and I was flooded with both emotion and awareness. But as I looked down at the Earth - this stunning, fragile oasis, this island that has been given to us, and that has protected all life from the harshness of space - a sadness came over me, and I was hit in the gut with an undeniable, sobering contradiction.

In spite of the overwhelming beauty of this scene, serious inequity exists on the apparent paradise we have been given. I couldn't help thinking of the nearly one billion people who don't have clean water to drink, the countless number who go to bed hungry every night, the social injustice, conflicts, and poverty that remain pervasive across the planet.

Seeing Earth from this vantage point gave me a unique perspective - something I've come to call the orbital perspective. Part of this is the realisation that we are all travelling together on the planet and that if we all looked at the world from that perspective we would see that nothing is impossible.

Similar emotional and mental impacts have been reported by Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon, a sense of the interconnectedness of things.

Sure, we might not be able to venture into space ourselves, but we can catch a glimpse of this impact by looking at the stars every night, visiting local planetariums, observing regular meteor showers, and seeing awe-inspiring images published by the likes of NASA and other space agencies.

This is why projects like the James Webb are so important, not only for science as a field but also to shape public perceptions of reality.

But who gets to think like this?

Not everyone has the luxury of taking the time to adopt this frame of mind.

To the struggling minimum wage worker wrestling to make ends meet or the homeless person looking for scraps, pondering existential truths is a luxury. To adopt this perspective or even ponder these thoughts, you need the luxury of time not spent on mere survival.

You need to live in a country where the government values exploration to understand humanity’s place in the universe. You need a society in which intellectual pursuit can take you to the frontiers of discovery and in which news of your discoveries can be routinely disseminated. By those measures, most citizens of such nations do rather well.

But even yet, this mind frame can provide benefits to everybody, irrespective of their circumstances.

A common theme of historical civilizations is that people lived under a constant barrage of stress and chaos. Wars, famine, and death were all omnipresent within these early societies.

Yet, they still found a way to entertain these high thoughts. Stonehenge, the Pyramids of Giza, or the countless rustic churches scattered over the European plains are all a testament to the yearning for hope and beauty. For these people, nature possessed a spiritual element that pushed their perceptions.

But, as technology has evolved, it's eroded our natural sense of wonder. We've become so boxed with the constant dopamine rush that it's inhibited our ability for our minds to wander.

When you let yourself travel in these thought experiments of awe, you'll be inspired and alive with a primal force.

Children are the complete opposite -- they live in a constant state of awe because they see the world in its innocence. To them, the world is full of wonder and majesty.

Connecting to our inner child is possible; we just have to train ourselves.

We can do this by giving ourselves permission for our minds to wander. When we allow ourselves to revel in a state of awe, there will be vitality that permeates your existence. You'll become more creative and less stressed.

Here are some other measures we can take:

• Spend more time in nature.
• Engage in arts and/or regularly listen to new music.
• Make time for constant reflection.

Personally, I have a canvas of the Andromeda galaxy that sits above my desk (excuse my messy desk, I like it that way). It's a constant reminder to never take life too seriously and relax whenever I can.

It's a great reminder to put my little day-to-day worries in the context of the cosmos.

I pledge you, tonight go see the stars. Stop spending so much time looking down at your feet.

Look at the stars.

Think about them and your place in the cosmos. It's both awe-inspiring and liberating.

In the absence of such curiosity, we are no different from the farmer who expresses no need to venture beyond the provincial line because his fifty acres meet all his needs.

Yet if all our predecessors had felt that way, the farmer would instead be a cave dweller, chasing down his dinner with sticks and arrows.

Regularly maintain this curiosity and allow your mind to wander in cosmic awe. You'll ask more questions, be happier, more creative, and gain a fresh view of both your life and the universe.

Develop your cosmic perspective.

Follow Louis Sykes on Twitter @haumicharts