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Ask HN: Does watching 2001: A Space Odyssey or Interstellar make you feel weird?
I simply empty out. Insignificance and a sense of puniness surround me. It's a weird feeling, can't quite put in words. I feel inconsequential and at the same time my mind gets thrilled by the greatness that humanity can achieve by conquering the vast cosmos.
The daily chores, bugs, programming languages, opinions, news etc. do not matter any more. The hangover lasts for a few hours, but I feel like I was on an opioid trip (metaphorically, never tried myself). It's scary and beautiful at the same time. I usually study Math or Physics after such hangover.
Just wanted to share the weirdness I feel right now.
- sebastianconcpt 10y agoA few movies left me with some feelings like this. I take it as a chance to try to capture some insight and write it down. Regardless of movies I think is healthy to periodically review life's important questions, but if a movie triggered that, then it would be very welcomed. On the personal side, due to the age at which Carl Sagan's Cosmos catch me, that was profoundly influential and inspiring.
- sidcool 10y agoIndeed, Carl's sublime and beautiful voice makes it hypnotic. I also liked Neil Degrasse Tyson's remake of Cosmos. But nothing can beat the original one.
- zamalek 10y agoMore people are starting to think like this. For me, it was Stargate. I'd call it "intellectual evolution," if there were such a thing - we've moved past survival of the fittest (even defy it with modern medicine) and so we have to make progress such as this - else we'll naturally regress along the evolutionary road. > The daily chores, bugs, programming languages, opinions, news etc. do not matter any more I've decided on moving toward coding in an area that serves a purpose (eventually, as there's stuff to get out of the way first). Be it with SpaceX or within clean energy.
- sidcool 10y agoThat's pretty cool. If only SpaceX hired me :) Or Tesla or SolarCity or NASA or the ESA or the ISRO.