From: Cosmos: A Personal Journey
Genre: Television
Who said it?: Carl Sagan
The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from the 1980 13-part documentary series, Cosmos: A Personal Journey. The show was hosted by astronomer and scientist Carl Sagan. In the show, Carl Sagan teaches the viewers about numerous scientific lessons, such as the theory of evolution, how time slows down when someone moves close to the speed of light as well as the origins of the universe, all while using his “spaceship of the imagination.” The show was incredibly popular when PBS aired it in 1980 and it is still currently the most viewed PBS television program today.
The quote comes from the very first episode of the show, The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean. In his opening monologue, Carl Sagan talks about the cosmos and all of the mysteries it holds and that mankind is desperately trying to understand the inner workings of the universe while trying to understand ourselves at the same time. It is during this monologue when he delivers the quote, as he tells us that we long to explore and return to the cosmos.
Geek wisdom: We are all connected. We may not really feel that connection but we are in some way. Whatever we do affects all of us in the future, even in minute ways. But there are times when we do things that cause harm to ourselves because we do not truly understand what we are. It is better to not pretend we know everything and keep plodding ignorantly along. Rather, it would be in all our best interests to learn what we can from each other so we can determine what actions will benefit all of us.
My Geek Wisdom 