This pale blue dot.

I was going through my archives, and found this post. It is a beautiful piece that begs introspection of one’s existence and purposes. In light of this, it always feels as if our silly problems, fears and fights are insignificant.

 

 

This year (2010) is anniversary of the famous “pale blue dot”. It’s a photograph of Earth, as seen from Voyager 1 while on the edge of our solar system – approximately 3,762,136,324 miles from home. By request of Carl Sagan, NASA commanded the Voyager 1 spacecraft, having completed its primary mission and now leaving the Solar System, to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space. His words in regards to this photograph are always worth remembering: 

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every ‘superstar,’ every ‘supreme leader,’ every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

Pottermore Sorting

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you’ve a steady mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.

- The Sorting Hat, HPPS

This Pottermore business of Jo Rowling to bring a whole new depth to the series has ignited the glowing embers in its fandom to multi-story fires of excitement. But with it, also comes a fear unprecedented for many who have grown up with these series, and who like me, have had their person shaped in some way by the beautifully narrated tales of courage, sacrifice, bravery, love, and above all, doing what is right.

I am, of course, talking about The Sorting. (Note the capitals; it’s serious business.)

The anxiety and angst comes not because we need validation from a 7 question quiz on who we are as people. Most of us have done sorting hat quizzes that range from silly, predictable questions, to a 122 long one that is supposedly based on psychological studies, and many have studied the houses itself through the 7 books to determine where they’d best fit in. But doing a Sorting on Pottermore means cementing from Jo herself where you’d be, based on a creator’s understanding of the houses.

As you can imagine, this has caused a bit a stir among many people who have for YEARS identified with a trait, who has spent money and time on their idea of who they are and their house loyalty, and is now suddenly being told that they are not what they think they are. It’s like being a Manchester United fan for 10 years only to find out the owner and manager and most of its players don’t like the club at all and are all for Arsenal.

Naturally, people will suffer from the classic stages of the Kübler-Ross depression model, which in itself tells you how much impact Harry Potter has had on this generation.

• Denial – What? I’m a Slytherin, who the heck is Jo to tell me that I’m a Gryffindor!
• Anger  - This is so unfair! I’m cunning and witty and ambitious and Gryffindor sucks!
• Bargaining - Maybe I can switch Pottermore accounts with someone to get into Slytherin?
• Depression – Whatever, I’m not even going to play, this is all a lie anyway.
• Acceptance - You know what… maybe there’s more to me than I knew. Perhaps I should do some self reflection… I could be Gryffindor after all.

The point here is that this has become more than just a little game. This is a defining moment in a person, where the elements of nature versus nurture can be brought in.

Someone who as a child thought the world of Slytherin could have manipulated themselves into thinking like one, and if you pretend to be something for long enough, you will eventually be it. So they have nurtured Slytherin-like tendencies, thus pushing their ambition and wit higher than they might have naturally. If such a person was, unintentionally or unwittingly placed in say, Hufflepuff (which has earned quite a reputation as the house for the duffers) they might end up feeling like what they’ve been is a lie. 

Over exaggeration? Maybe, maybe not.

I myself have gone though (some of) the stages, first denial that I was anything but Slytherin, then into anger, mostly at not having been sorted yet and thus unknowing, and now to a sort of acceptance that I could possibly deal with any house… except Hufflepuff.

In hindsight, I know this may seem really silly and inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but I can’t help but feel, personally, that it matters. 

On that note, I’ll return now to my windowsill, to eagerly await my welcome owl.

Edit1: I’m FelicisKnight46, for those interested in the whole social aspect to it.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW! STOP READING FROM THIS POINT OUT IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED. 

Edit2: In my utter Slytherin-ness, I decided to scour the internet for questions -(these ones are the recurring ones, so I’m guessing they’re legit). There are about 200 questions designed by Jo herself, and only 7 are used in the actual sorting. Do not read further if you want your sorting to be untainted by advance knowledge.

1. What power would you like to have?
-Invisibility
-Super Strength
-The ability to change the past
-The ability to change your appearance at will
-Mind Reading
-The ability to talk to animals

2. What are you most looking forward to learning at Hogwarts?
-Apparition and disapparition
-Transfiguration
-Flying on a broomstick
-Hexes and jinxes
-All about magical creatures
-Secrets about the Castle
-Every area of magic I can

3, Which road tempts you the most?
-The sunny, grassy lane
-The Narrow dark lantern lit alley
-The twisting leaf-strewn path in the woods
-The cobbled street lined with ancient buildings

4. Four boxes are placed before you. Which do you open?
-The small tortoiseshell box, embellished with gold, inside which some small creature seems to be squeaking
-The gleaming jet black box with a silver lock and key, marked with a mysterious rune that you know to be the mark of Merlin
-The ornate golden casket, standing on clawed feet, whose inscription warms that both secret knowledge and unbearable temptation lie within
-The small pewter box, unassuming and plain, with a scratched message upon it that reads ‘I only open for the worthy’

5. You are walking and come to a crossroads. Which path do you take?
-The path that leads to a beach
-The path that leads through a forest
-The path that leads to a castle

6. You are walking along and hear a sound. What do you do?
-Tread cautiously with you hand on your wand
-Retreat and wait for the source of the sound to reveal itself while remembering defensive spells
-Seek out the source of the sound

7. How would you like to be remembered in history?
-Being Wise
-Being Good
-Being Bold
-Being Brave
-Being Great

8. Would you rather invent a potion that would give you…
-Power?
-Love?
-Glory?
-Wisdom?

9. Which do you find most difficult to deal with?
-Boredom
-Cold
-Hunger
-Loneliness
-Being ignored

Four goblets are placed in front of you, which would you choose to drink?
-Foaming, silvery liquid that sparkles as though containing ground diamonds
-Smooth, thick purple drink that smells of chocolate and plums
-Golden liquid, which makes sun spots dance around the room
-Mysterious black liquid, which gives the drinker strange visions

10. A troll has gone berserk in the headmaster’s office and is going to destroy the precious items. In what order to you save them?
-Cure dragonpox potion
-Merlin’s Books
-Student records

11. How do you want to people to react when they hear you name after you’re dead?
-Miss you and smile
-Want to hear more stories about your adventures
-Think about your achievements
-I don’t care what happens when I’m dead, it’s when I’m alive that matters

12. Once every century, the Flutterby bush produces flowers that adapt their scent to attract the unwary. If it lured you, it would smell of…
-The sea
-Fresh parchment
-Home
-A crackling log fire

13. What kind of instrument most pleases your ear?
-Violin
-Trumpet
-Piano
-Drum

14. One of you house mates has cheated in a Hogwarts exam by using a self-spelling quill. Now he has come to top of the class in charms, beating you into second place. Professor Flitwick is suspicious of what happened. He draws you to one side after his lesson and asks you whether or not your classmate used a forbidden quill. What do you do?
-Lie and say you don’t know (but hope that somebody else tells Professor Flitwick the truth.)
-Tell Professor Flitwick that he ought to ask your classmate (and resolve to tell your classmate that if he doesn’t tell the truth, you will.)
-Tell Professor Flitwick the truth. If your classmate is prepared to win by cheating, he deserves to be found out. Also, as you are both in the same house, any points he loses will be regained by you, for coming first in his place.
-You would not wait to be asked to tell Professor Flitwick the truth. If you knew that somebody was using a forbidden quill, you would tell the teacher before the exam started.

15. Which would you rather be?
-Liked
-Imitated
-Praised
-Envied
-Feared
-Trusted

16. A muggle confronts you and says that they are sure you are a witch or wizard. Do you:
-Ask what makes them think so?
-Agree and walk away, leaving them wondering about the truth?
-Say yes and tell them you’ll jinx them if they don’t leave?
-Tell them you think perhaps they need to call the mental hospital?

17. Which magical creatures would you most like to study?
-Centaurs
-Goblins
-Merpeople
-Ghosts
-Vampires
-Werewolves
-Trolls

18. You would hate it if other people thought you were…
-Ordinary
-Selfish
-Ignorant
-Stubborn
-Cowardly

19. Do you prefer the forest or the river?
-Forest
-River

20. Dawn or Dusk?
-Dawn
-Dusk

21. Black or White?
-Black
-White

22. Heads or Tails?
-Heads
-Tails

23. Left or Right?
-Left
-Right

24. Stars or Moon?
-Stars
-Moon

Edit 2: I’m in! And Slytherin!!!!!!!! So happy. For those curious, you get asked a total of 14 questions, 7 during your wand placement, and 7 during your sorting. There is an extensive explanation for the wand types which are surprisingly accurate, and thus I imagine it heavily influences your house as well. My only advice is choose honestly. There answers are not obvious to a certain house, but certain answers tend to lend itself towards a certain house, for example, in Q7, if you chose wise, you might rack up more Ravenclaw tendencies, and if you chose great, more Slytherin ones. However the exact mechanism is unknown as of yet, so the best bet is to answer honestly. 

Dissecting Happiness…

Doing what you like is freedom; liking what you do is happiness. 

 

People tend to lament over their lack of happiness. But what exactly is it?

The answer to many things in life does not magically present itself at a certain age; someone younger may be a lot wiser than someone twice his age if he has more experience – has lived more. And in that same vein, happiness can be attained through understanding.

The understanding that happiness is not about being happy. You do not need to smile all the time, or project an aura of bliss if you do not feel like it. In fact, doing so will only cause people to misunderstand your personality, to view it as fake. Happiness isn’t about outward projection; it’s about inner peace.

It’s about accepting your shortcomings and acknowledging them, before working to slowly and continuously improve them. It’s about taking control of your decisions, choices and responsibilities, but being completely open to having everything falling to bits because that’s just how life is. It’s easy to say, but takes a lot of self reflection and awareness to be able to say, “Okay, so shit happens, let’s just move on and roll with it.” The more you do it, the more you learn, the more you grow, the more you start to understand that your life is irrevocably tangled in this mess of strings in the universe and your choices are limited by the pull of other strings.

So again, what is happiness?

It is:

- Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and your goals.

- Acknowledging your body and being happy with what you have (and don’t have), and only then work to improve it.

- It’s about accepting all the good and bad experiences life throws at you, accepting your complete lack of control and then making the choice to make the best of it.

- It’s about making time for the little things: sunsets, dinner with friends, comfortable silences with family, petting your dog, having a piece of candy.

- It’s about struggling to reach your goals and ambitions, and the feeling of contentment every time you reach a small milestone, which takes you closer to the big one.

- It is about taking effort to do something nice for someone with the singular intent of seeing them smile.

- Most of all, it is about completely accepting yourself and both your insignificance and your greatest significance in the world. (even if you don’t know what it is.)

Disclaimer: This is individual perception and may change at different stages in life.