on the voyager(s):

[layzner]

given that i finally have a spot to put this somewhere, here's a heartfelt paragraph on that accursed space probe

The Voyager probes are humanity's greatest achievement. Not only did we reach out past the limits of our solar system, but we cried out to the universe to tell it that mankind exists. Or maybe that mankind existed.

We provided a record of our existence. That we're capable of death and destruction, but also creativity, love, and tradition, for better or for worse. We tried our best to encapsulate music and culture for the enjoyment of whatever else stumbles upon it. Perhaps it was a shot in the dark. Maybe, it will get crushed, turned to dust, or simply be regarded by others as trash. But it was an attempt at a kind of immortality, to trace the word with our fingertips. None of us know how many cultures and civilizations crumbled before us. I'm sure that other civilizations tried their hardest to quantify events and science and things they loved, but so much of it has been wiped. Even in recent years, so much information has been lost and now there seems to be a path paved for more of it to vanish. Who says that all record of our existence won't be lost? Maybe it is selfish to think that we are so important, when in fact any changes we make in the grand scheme of the universe has no cosmic effect on anything at all. But what if we really are the only ones? There's no way for us to know really. By extending our hand to the great unknown we showed it the heartbeat of the world. The Earth's heart may stop but its memory is preserved there.