MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/23 April) – Humanity has made countless great feats and it seems like we have achieved so much, but ultimately, we have only explored less than five percent of the Earth’s oceans and zero percent of the universe. The pursuit of knowledge and then unravelling of the unknown must continue. We still have so much to discover about our universe, our planet, and ourselves. We as a species and as individuals are capable of so much. We tend to forget sometimes.
What’s stopping you? Are you scared that you won’t be able to overcome the impossible? Do you fear the unknown? It’s like we have set up this invisible barrier for ourselves which is outrageous because in a universe—which is expanding—as big as this, anything can happen, anything can be done.
When I was a 12-year-old high school freshman I never thought that I would be able to survive being in the science curriculum. It seemed far-fetched at that time. However, this year on March 26, I played the violin during the invocation of our graduation ceremony and I received a medal and certificates for my academic and extra-curricular achievements. This July I’ll turn 16 and in August I’ll be in college. To someone who has achieved more, graduating from high school is nothing. But, like time, success is relative. (Also, high school is basically hell on Earth, I shit you not.)
Do I know what will happen to me after that? No. But I know for sure that I won’t stop being an explorer, a wonderer, a dreamer. In fact, we should all not stop being those things. It’s never too early and never too late.
Explore. Wonder. Ask. Marvel at the universe that is unfolding right in front of you. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. “Do not go gentle into that good night.”
“There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.” That one’s from Stephen Hawking, bras. So go ahead. Go conquer your boundary, your black hole. Do not go gentle into that dark night.
(Alexandria M. Mordeno, 15, graduated from high school in March this year. She dreams of becoming a lawyer.)
