You've probably heard of Voltaire, one of the fathers of the Enlightenment. Among his works, one can highlight “Micromegas”, a story that shows the journey of a giant through several planets. Even with his wide experience, this giant was impressed with the attitudes of us human beings.
In an excerpt from the book, we read the following:
“(…) he spoke to them with great kindness, although in the latter he was a little annoyed to see that the infinitely small had an almost infinitely great pride.”
What happens is that we naturally have the habit of always putting ourselves ahead of others, whether people or animals. Individualism and the way we find ourselves at the center of the universe are issues that have been addressed for centuries. To give you an idea, this book by Voltaire was written in 1752. We are in the XNUMXst century, and even so it is common to see that we actually think we are unique on the planet. Not quite, no!
We often see how much we put our problems at a level that, most of the time, is completely unnecessary. And there's always that comparison: my problem is bigger than his, and vice versa.
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What “Micromegas” teaches very clearly is that, as much as we think that our problems deserve “universal” attention, it is important to stop and reflect on whether it really is something that deserves our full attention, so it is important to learn the “Sirius Look” – in the book, the giant comes from a planet of the star Sirius – so it is very easy to see how tiny our problems are in relation to the universe. It's a matter of knowing how to deal with certain feelings. Even if it is initially difficult, it is important not to let pride dominate and then stop thinking that we are unique.
In fact, during life we ​​go through many problems in common, but you know that saying that God doesn't give a greater burden than we can carry?! Well then, this is very valid, even more accompanied by the "Look of Sirius". If you think you were the only one who suffered because of a certain problem, know that you were not the only one and that you will not be the only one to overcome it. It is essential to take advantage of one of our main skills: that of observing. Try to avoid suffering over something if you've seen someone who has suffered from the same issue. Therefore, it will be much easier to learn that in this school of life it is not necessary to go through the process of experiencing a problem, facing it and overcoming it, it is enough to learn not to make mistakes starting from the act of observation.
If a person did wrong for choosing a certain path, don't do the same, understand? Don't think that it only went wrong for her and that it will work for you, that's our pride, of the "infinitely small" beings. We must learn from “Micromegas” to seek the knowledge that is around us. If we learn not to make the same mistakes that we so often see repeated with other people, this will be a big step towards becoming giant beings, just like the giant Micromegas!
Ah, in case you can't "escape" from a problem, remember: “Sirius' gaze”!
