I remember years ago lying on a rock along the coast and looking up at the moon over head. I was thinking how far ‘space’ went on beyond it and then realized it went on just as much behind/below me.
And yet us insignificant particles have split the atom, sent craft outside the solar system, travelled to the moon, created brain surgery (and fruit loops). We have recognized and worship the creator of all too and have free will and reason granted by God to continue to grow as individuals and a species.
If I remember correctly from the introduction of one of Bill’s collections, this strip was from his ‘talking heads’ days when he was having trouble drawing due to pain.
lets think of it as a teacup ride at an amusement park. The cup is earth. the earth rotates at 1,000 miles an hour to make a day. It revolves at 67,000 miles an hour to make a year, and the whole galaxy moves at 483,000 miles an hour to make a galactic year. This is why time travel on earth is impossible as you would be no where near the earth lets say when Doc Brown sent his dog 1 minute in the future in that very spot. The dog would miss the spot by 16 and a half mile, the earth would would have moved 1100 miles in space and the galaxy would have moved 716 miles which would place the dog in outer space. No wonder why every one seems dizzy..
Shipping costs of resources outside one’s own solar system are too high to justify the investment! So only certain authoritarian societies would spend their resources that way, but other civilizations are wise enough to stamp even the slightest hint of authoritarianism out as soon as it arises. Those advocating colonizing outside their own solar system are immediately placed on a ship and put into suspended animation “until it becomes economically feasible.” Shortly thereafter, someone “accidentally” trips over the plug and the rotting mass gets removed after a few days. Which all in all saves a lot of money and resources for more important things, like producing the local version of Calvin and Hobbs.
Despite Watterson’s sarcasm via his proxy Calvin, it makes perfect sense to think that one should focus on one’s own happiness rather than constantly focusing on one’s place in the Universe. Individual happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Those who say otherwise advocate and focus on individual misery.
codycab about 10 hours ago
The final frontier.
dadthedawg Premium Member about 10 hours ago
A rerun of Star Trek…..
snsurone76 about 9 hours ago
And there may be other solar systems in other galaxies containing living beings far superior to Earthlings!
STEPUP about 9 hours ago
Very shallow thinker, are we??!!
WhatsTheJoke about 9 hours ago
You get on the Enterprise (where no man has gone before) and I’ll get in the Enterprise.
lalapalooza Premium Member about 9 hours ago
i understand this.
old_geek about 9 hours ago
Days of Our Lives….
BigDaveGlass about 8 hours ago
These are the voyages.
cracker65 about 8 hours ago
That could give you whiplash
sandpiper about 8 hours ago
So much for the cosmos. Back to Earth.
SunshineDaydream about 7 hours ago
From the sublime to the ridiculous..
Calvinist1966 about 7 hours ago
TV, phone home!
nosirrom about 6 hours ago
Someone should have proof read this. Our star is only about half way to the edge.
RobinHood about 6 hours ago
" If life is going to exist in a Universe of this size, then the one thing it cannot afford to have is a sense of proportion."
Douglas Adams
A# 466 about 6 hours ago
“Dancing with the Stars?”
Gent about 5 hours ago
Enough contemplating about life. Now time to gets back to the idiot box eh.
Egrayjames about 5 hours ago
I’m fortunate in that I live where I often see the Milky Way.
Lenavid about 5 hours ago
By all means! Stop contemplating existence and just exist! And get some snacks!
moosemin about 5 hours ago
There’s a special on at 8pm by Carl Sagan! Maybe Mom will let you stay up a little longer!.
Wizard of Ahz-no relation about 4 hours ago
I remember years ago lying on a rock along the coast and looking up at the moon over head. I was thinking how far ‘space’ went on beyond it and then realized it went on just as much behind/below me.
Free or Not? Premium Member about 4 hours ago
And yet us insignificant particles have split the atom, sent craft outside the solar system, travelled to the moon, created brain surgery (and fruit loops). We have recognized and worship the creator of all too and have free will and reason granted by God to continue to grow as individuals and a species.
Don’t discount humanity.
chaosed2 about 4 hours ago
If I remember correctly from the introduction of one of Bill’s collections, this strip was from his ‘talking heads’ days when he was having trouble drawing due to pain.
DJohnny about 3 hours ago
Maybe a science show?
minty_Joe about 3 hours ago
And cue “Yakko’s Universe Song” by Randy Rogel (Animaniacs) ( /watch?v=OmfAyK6CeIg ). Sang by Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell and Tress MacNeille.
SquidGamerGal about 3 hours ago
Really?! At this point you should be in bed LONG ago!
rshive about 3 hours ago
Make the best of your insignificance, Calvin.
Kroykali about 3 hours ago
Nova.
baskate_2000 about 3 hours ago
Priorities ….
rockyridge1977 about 3 hours ago
Well put …..young man…….Close Encounters of the Third Kind !!!!!!
Paul D Premium Member about 2 hours ago
From the philosophical to the practical . . . just like that.
Count Olaf Premium Member about 2 hours ago
Star Trek
ladykat about 2 hours ago
Typical 6-year old.
mckeonfuneralhomebx about 2 hours ago
lets think of it as a teacup ride at an amusement park. The cup is earth. the earth rotates at 1,000 miles an hour to make a day. It revolves at 67,000 miles an hour to make a year, and the whole galaxy moves at 483,000 miles an hour to make a galactic year. This is why time travel on earth is impossible as you would be no where near the earth lets say when Doc Brown sent his dog 1 minute in the future in that very spot. The dog would miss the spot by 16 and a half mile, the earth would would have moved 1100 miles in space and the galaxy would have moved 716 miles which would place the dog in outer space. No wonder why every one seems dizzy..
gorbag about 1 hour ago
We just have to address Fermi’s paradox:
Shipping costs of resources outside one’s own solar system are too high to justify the investment! So only certain authoritarian societies would spend their resources that way, but other civilizations are wise enough to stamp even the slightest hint of authoritarianism out as soon as it arises. Those advocating colonizing outside their own solar system are immediately placed on a ship and put into suspended animation “until it becomes economically feasible.” Shortly thereafter, someone “accidentally” trips over the plug and the rotting mass gets removed after a few days. Which all in all saves a lot of money and resources for more important things, like producing the local version of Calvin and Hobbs.
Doug Taylor Premium Member about 1 hour ago
Calvin must have watched a rerun of the original COSMOS series.
ilovecomics*infinity about 1 hour ago
Hurtle…but otherwise I love this!
chris.lemarie about 1 hour ago
Lucky kid that he can still make out the Milky Way. In most places where people leave, you can barely discern the Big Dipper, even with a clear sky.
Kilrwat Premium Member about 1 hour ago
And our own galaxy is but one of billions and let’s not forget the multiverse…
BJDucer about 1 hour ago
That’s about normal for a kid Calvin’s age….a a focused attention span of about 30 seconds.
RussellCastine about 1 hour ago
His dad would rather have a Snickers bar.
KEA about 1 hour ago
the span of thoughts available to humans is truly … weird.
delennwen about 1 hour ago
How about watching Monty Python’s Galaxy Song, Calvin? youtube. com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk
Robert4170 about 1 hour ago
Despite Watterson’s sarcasm via his proxy Calvin, it makes perfect sense to think that one should focus on one’s own happiness rather than constantly focusing on one’s place in the Universe. Individual happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Those who say otherwise advocate and focus on individual misery.
jrankin1959 35 minutes ago
Well, that contemplated moment passed quickly…