NaBloPoMo - All we see of stars are their old photographs

On the way home the other night myself and Black Pig were discussing astronomy. We had just been admiring Jupiter and he had pointed out the Milky Way to me. This was the first time I'd ever seen the Milky Way. I've always loved looking at the stars though there are very few I can identify. Cassiopeia is my favourite constellation.

I used to talk to Orion on my way home. Yes I was a strange young person.

Nebulae are my favourite thing that we can see out there in the universe. They are some of the prettiest things that have ever been created.

But back to our conversation. We were talking about distance and light and how some of the stars we see may not even still be there. At this point Black Pig said something to me that just baked my noodle. Because of the way light travels and how we see things we never really see our selves as we are. We only see ourselves as we were.

WTF!

That concept just blows my mind. To quote Watchmen, all we see of the stars are their old photographs! It's just mad. To never be able to see what is actually there just what was there a tiny moment ago. And not just on the large scale of stars but of the screen I'm looking at now and the hands that are typing. I try and live in the moment and to be truly here as the Buddhist traditions say. But no matter how "here" I am I will never see that with my eyes. I will only feel it.

Madness.