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Home | Psychology of Wellness | Meaning Article Archive | Our Place in the Universe

Our Place in the Universe

Infinite Worth and Completely Insignificant

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | December 2018 (edited July 1, 2022)
The moon against a starry background. A Flourishing Life Society article on worth and insignificance
Adobe Stock Images
We are both of infinite worth and completely insignificant. We live squashed between these two realms. Understanding our place in the universe guides us to a better life.
We live in the presence of ourselves our entire lives. Circumstances and environments come and go, but our presence remains a constant. Except for a complete psychological breakdown, we will be a constant companion throughout the remainders of our lives. Becoming acquainted with our sense of self that follows us from childhood into marriage, and then to old age, is a good idea.

Our constant presence in every moment swells our sense of importance. Other times conscious awareness of faults explodes our image into worthless fragments. Yet, the same person remains the next day—ready to witness another day of our life.
"Our constant presence in every moment swells our sense of importance."
We must process two realities. One story is the story of our life. We are the star. We provide the action. We are capable and important. Our actions have an impact on the future of our story. This is referred to as self-efficacy in psychology. The other reality is the story of the universe. In this story, we don’t have a leading role. In fact, our role is rather unimportant. We are small, unseen and a piece of a much grander whole.
 
Both these realities simultaneously exist. Like Schrödinger's cat, both alive and dead inside the unopened box. We are important and insignificant.

Books on this Topic

Differentiating and Integrating the Complexity

Our well-being does not fair better by focusing on one reality while ignoring the other. We need both. We can enjoy small selfish indulgences, living in the grace of our surroundings, but we also must feel the awe and largeness of the universe, understanding that from dust we became and to dust we shall return. We must view our existence on both of these realms, differentiating and integrating.
"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self."
​Aldous Huxley
​​Our country and presidents are nothing more than a speck on a timeline that has no beginning and no end. Yet tomorrow, as I wake, I must embrace each precious moment, feeling each spectacular second as it passes through me.

Let your gaze bounce between these two stories. Seeing your importance in your personalized story, while grounding those verses with reflection on our insignificant role in a much grander story—the story of our place in the universe.
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T. Franklin Murphy
T. Franklin Murphy
Wellness. Writer. Researcher.
​T. Franklin Murphy has a degree in psychology. He tirelessly researches scientific findings that contribute to wellness. In 2010, he began publishing his findings.

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About Flourishing Life

Flourishing Life Society article link. A Meaningful Life
Wellness Links:
External Link: You Should Treat Life as a Work of Art
External Link: How to not fear your death
External Link: Small Pleasures Are Just As Important For Our Wellbeing As Long-Term Goals
External Link: Fight Back Against Toxic Thoughts And Self-Defeating Actions
External Link: Grace Paley on the Art of Growing Older

​Other Flourishing Life Society articles of interest on this topic:

Living a virtuous life is never accomplished in perfection; we integrate ethical standards one small step at a time.
Shortcuts to happiness may escape pain; but the temporary relief often has a high cost of  long-term trouble.
FLS link. Passionate Purpose. We need passionate purpose to energize our flat lives, giving fire to existence and joy to routines.
FLS link. A Narrative Identity that Heals: We write the story of our life. We create our identity through the narrative that we tell. We must create a narrative that heals our wounded souls.
Emotional Response. Emotions and Goal Fulfillment. A Flourishing Life Society article image link
Living a Rich Meaningful Life. A Flourishing Life Society article link
General Adaptation Syndrome. What is GAS. A Flourishing Life Society article link.
FLS Link. Realistic Optimism: Optimism brings energy to action, motivating persistence in the face of difficulty. Our wellness benefits most from optimism when it is based in reality.
FLS internal link. Courage to Become: We need to courage to reach past comfort zones and encourage personal growth.
Internal Link: Flagship article. Ten Beacons of Light. Improving our lives isn't from following items on a simple list. Science, however, has provided some helpful clues to our pursuit of wellness. These ten beacons of light provide direction, lights that illuminate a path to growth.
FLS Link. The Experience Machine: In 1974, Robert Nozick posed a question. Would you plug into an experience machine that provided all the feelings of desired experience without the struggles of reality?
FLS internal Link. Life's Journey: Structure and Chaos.
We get stuck in an existential funk, searching for meaning. Life may not readily appear meaningful; but we can give life meaning.
Self-Actualization. A Flourishing Life Society article link
Learning comes from more than pages in a book. Living knowledge must be experienced, converting words into actions.
FLS Link. Experiencing Awe: Experiences of awe promote pro-social behavior and invite psychological development. The wise find awe in the awesomeness of life.
Our Place in the Universe. Infinite Value and Complete Insignificance. A Flourishing Life Society article link
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