The lunar eclipse made humanity seem not-so important

The lunar eclipse made humanity seem not-so important. Halfway through the night of the blood moon I got a floating feeling, almost like seasickness. I had to pull back from staring skyward and I actually collapsed on the couch, well aware of my pathetic human frailty in the face of the mighty shift happening in heaven.

I thought of all those corny sayings about human isolation: how we’re lost in the stars, hurtling through the universe.

As a teenager I had this earth-shattering quote by Stephen Hawking pasted on my wall, blown up directly from his book, on an old photocopier. I remember irritating the guy the copy shop trying to get him to make the quote bigger and bigger. Certainly I didn’t have a photocopy machine in my bedroom.

Anyway here it is: “The human race is just a chemical scum on a moderate-sized planet, orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a hundred billion galaxies. We are so insignificant that I can’t believe the whole universe exists for our benefit.”

I can basically recite that from memory. And, the most amazing thing about knowing it, is that the knowledge cannot stop wars, it cannot alleviate poverty or override any pain or conflict.

Some knowledge is there for its own sake. It paints a picture of a situation. But the weirdest part is, that it remains a situation than no one can fully comprehend.

This questioning of agency informs so many of my new paintings — whether it is a superhero trapped in mediocrity, or under-appreciated children, caught in situations not of their making.

Yep, it’s important that we just pause for a moment, every now and then, to take note of our little place in infinity.