Bryson: Chapter 2 & 3

"The universe is a big and lonely place. We can do with all the neighbors we can get."
Questions: Through our expansion, could we possibly evolve into a species that can travel space? Can we evolve to species that can tolerate the conditions of other planets? IS THERE LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS?
Comments: Humor. This quote stood out to me because if you look at this on a daily scale, it's sort of true from person to person. There are very few people who can live what society calls a "fulfilling life" without talking to people, neighbors. In this world, the more people you know, the better. I feel like the universe we know are like people who just want to mingle with other universes, if they exist to our knowledge. I mean, overall, knowing things we don't is what people strive for, curiosity drives us over all else.

"Two hundred light-years is a distance so far beyond us as to be, well, just beyond us. So even if we are not really alone, in all practical tenus we are."
Comments: I found this sort of comical because it's one of those things that doesn't really tell us anything. It's like saying, "I don't want to get my water bottle that's far away because it's just so far away." I usually get irritated with this sort of stuff, but I just found it funny because when I imagined this, yes, the universe did seem a little bit bigger then just imagining a "big universe".

"A star can burn for billions of years, but it dies just once and quickly, and only a few dying stars explode. Most expire quietly, like a campfire at dawn."
Comments: This quote sort of depressed me, I'll be honest. It makes me think of people dying. Sometimes it's noticed, sometimes it's... noticed less. It's like the whole, "If a tree falls but no one is around to hear it." Point is, the tree fell. It definitely fell. I know stars don't have a consciousness, but when you think about it, life on Earth can be comparable. We live, lots of years for most of us, but then we die in one foul swoop. It just happens. There is some noise if it's a murder, propaganda and all. But all in all, most of the time it's silent. People either accept the silence or make the voice louder. I don't know, that's the initial reaction I got.