New Year's Eve Pt. 3: The Stars

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We left the dune at sunset. I was a little upset when I realized just how quick and easy it was to get down compared to the length of time I spent climbing up, but was also glad to finally be back on somewhat solid ground. We could smell the tagine cooking in the makeshift kitchen. Even came, and that was when we looked up and saw the night sky. In the desert, without any light pollution for miles, every star shone and lit the ground around us. Even familiar constellations became new with the advent of the stars surrounding them. I sniffled.

“I love it when I can see in a clear night.” A volunteer said.
“There are times when I hate it.” I said.
“What do you mean?” He asked.

I looked over to him as I held back a tear.

“During the day, we have the illusion of a blue covering above us. We have the same thing on a cloudy night. But on nights like this, we have no protection from it. The infiniteness of it all. When we can’t see it, then we can pretend that all of our little fights that we have over religion, race, sexuality actually mean something.”

I looked back up. A meteor flew through Pegasus.

“But now, looking out at these things, these lights, and knowing that it is so great a distance that it would be impossible to reach them, nobody can help but realize just how petty and stupid all of those fights are. But the funny thing is that even though mankind has been able to look up and see all of this, they continue to do it.”

The volunteer looked at me, not speaking but also nodding his head in agreement.

“And we continue to believe that we are at the center of this. These constellations are made up of stars that aren’t even close to each other. Sirius in Canis Major isn’t anywhere near the other stars of the constellation, and yet here we are, placing importance on it. It’s all just so... stupid.”

We finished the evening with the Moroccans leading us in song and dance that lasted until midnight. Then I heard the volunteers.

“10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1... Happy New Year!”

I looked up at Sirius for a moment and headed into my tent. I had made it. I knew that I needed to do everything I could to help see just how little our differences meant in comparison to everything around us. We are this tiny planet at the edge of one galaxy, and rather than appreciate these beautiful differences that make us into an elaborate garden of humanity, we choose instead to root out what we call weeds that are merely different flowers. Muslims and Christians are unable to recognize their commonalities right now, but one day, they will. I know it.

I fell asleep to the sound of fireworks in the next campsite. Outside my tent, I could also hear the foghorn like sounds of the camels, and the sighing of the sands, once again saying, we have seen all of this before. You were not the first here, nor will you be the last.