We Are Star Dust: We Are Made To Shine

In his book, “The Cosmic Connection”, teacher Carl Sagan explains that humans are made of an extraordinary substance: we are stardust.

In our DNA, the same material that forms the stars, the wonderful things we see in the night sky. We are also made to shine.

These poetic words originally came from the 70’s. It was singer Joni Mitchell who wrote the inspirational song, ” Woodstock”.  It encouraged people to ” shine like star dust, like shining gold.”

But later Carl Sagan provided a scientific basis for the idea. He showed that in every body, in every cell, every little particle, there is cosmic history.

It’s a big thing to think about – and exciting. And every year, more research confirms that. Chris Impey, a researcher and professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona, revealed in 2010 that all organic matter containing carbon was produced by an extremely ancient generation of stars.

Plus, if we remember that all the basic elements of the earth have the same origin, we can assume that 97% of our bodies are matter from the ancient stars.

It’s magical. We are made to shine, to illuminate the world. But… why did we forget to shine? If we are made of stars… why are we not happier?

We are stardust, but sometimes we live in the dark

The darker it is at night, the brighter the stars shine. Sometimes all you have to do is look up at the night sky and  think about infinity, and there you will find inspiration.

The stars, with their cycles, their motion, their quiet music and cosmic beauty, have always been a point of reference for humanity. This is true of everything from agriculture and science to spirituality.

But here’s the true magic of the whole thing. We have limited ourselves to looking at stars as distant and even superior to us. It is time to understand that we are a whole. That this heavenly matter is in every fragment of our being. That we are star dust.

It’s not easy, it’s true. As humans, we tend to navigate in the dark. Through the swamp of eternal misfortune, deserts where the seeds of self-love no longer grow.

That’s a heavy truth. And as a simple example of this dark underside of humanity, we have a sick game that has been in the headlines lately. We’re talking about the Blue Whale.

This morbid game originates from the Russian social network VKontakte in 2013. It is now worldwide and consists of 50 tests.

These tests, for many different, complex reasons, attract hundreds of teens. It takes them on a journey of self-sabotage, self-harm and slow destruction. Finally, in a supposed act of bravery, they win the game by taking their own lives.

The creator of this sadistic game is Philipp Budeikin, only 21 years old. According to him, he invented this virtual challenge because ” there are people who are biodegradable waste with no value to society.”

Russian psychologists suggested that there were deeper roots that varied from ideological to psychopathic in this young man and his followers. The most important and worrying thing is how many people are vulnerable through their devices. Every computer, every cell phone.

There are hundreds of young minds and fragile hearts that breathe without hope. Without the energy, happiness or light they need for life, self-respect and self-confidence.

Let’s begin to shine, for ourselves and everyone else

Think of the happiest moment of your life and enjoy the memory. Smile at a stranger. Make a playlist of music you like. Give a hug to a fruit. Speak in lyrics. Draw an imaginary animal. Look for figures in the clouds. Make a new friend. Sing in the shower…

These ideas are also challenges, and they make up the game “The Pink Whale.” It consists of 50 tasks for young people all over the world.

The idea is to help them be positive and offer an alternative to Blue Whale. Right now there are 290,000 followers and thousands have completed the latest task. What it is: saving a life ( like helping a classmate who is a victim of bullying ). It’s absolutely amazing.

Most of us have hope. Most of us want to help others. While it is true that we sometimes forget to shine, there is always someone there to encourage us to find the light again.

There is nothing like touching a person’s soul to give you a vision of how beautiful and enormous our cosmos is.

Photos: Little Oil