Disclaimer: This is not the lovely, kind, adorable, and overall
fabulous girl you know and love. I am a friend of hers, and she asked me
to write something. I hope you enjoy.
-Luna
“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
~Arthur C. Clark
So the first thoughts on this quote
are almost always the same from what I've seen. People start talking
about aliens and whether or not there are "extra terrestrial creatures"
out there in the universe. Science fiction as we know it. After all, Mr.
Clark is a science fiction writer. I regret to inform you that I am yet
to read any of his works, so if any of you have let me know. This quote
intrigued me, so I looked into the life of our dear friend Arthur.
There was a point in his life where he was an undersea explorer, and
that brought back some of the weirdest and most terrifying memories I
have tucked away inside my mind. Personally, I love the water. I am far
from the strongest swimmer, but through my musicianship (flute) my
ability to hold my breath for about 4 minutes makes up for it plenty. I
have spent long trips on sailboats, and diving in the Florida Keys. One
of my trips was a bit different. I am pretty good with machines, so one
of my older friends and his coworker decide to take me on a trip in a
winged submarine he had spent 4 years building. Just the 3 of us. I
don't usually sleep much, so I was usually on night watch and made sure
things worked properly while the other two slept. On day 3, my friend
got sick and we had to leave him ashore. My friend's coworker didn't
want to stop the trip now (if you didn't know, submarine preparation and
fueling is expensive!) so it was just the two of us. The time on that
trip where you could see another world was beyond imagination's reach.
Granted, it wasn't nearly as exotic or deep as what you would see on TV,
but if you ever get the chance to explore deep waters don't pass it up,
trust me. At this point you're probably wondering why I went from being
alone to the ocean. Well this is where it comes together. You see,
after a week of little sleep and nothing that usually keeps me up is
there, the fatigue takes it's toll. So we began alternating night
watches. I remember my first night sleeping on that submarine. More
specifically waking up. I had the negative fortune of having a
nightmare, so I wake up with little bearings and grip on reality. I am
sure you know the feeling. Anyways I am staring up at a metal ceiling in
a small room, no idea where I am, and all I hear is silence. I hear
absolutely nothing, and I don't know if I am alone or not. As stated by
Mr. Clark, both are equally terrifying. Sometimes it's hard to decide
whether it's scarier to be alone or not even on planet earth, much less
the Universe. This brings up the true value of a true friend. Some
people have many friends, and don't think much of them, but what happens
when they are alone? Hopefully you won't have to feel the cold fear of
not knowing in an unfamiliar place when you wake up to understand what I
mean. Your friends are people you can trust, and sometimes we take them
for granted and don't realize how scary the world is without them. I
truly hope you understand what i am saying by this, and whenever you
read this, I hope that you see the true value in a true friend. Let your
friends know how much they matter every so often. Give them a hug or
something, because you can trust me when I say that they are more to you
than you know.
~Arthur C. Clark
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