You see, we find comfort in telling ourselves that the world could not exist without us, that it exists only inasmuch as we ourselves exist, inasmuch as we can represent it to ourselves. Death, infinite space, galaxies, all this is frightening, exactly because it transcends the limits of our perception.
In this excerpt from Vladimir Nabokov's "The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov," the author reflects on the human tendency to feel a sense of importance in relation to the universe. People often convince themselves that their existence is crucial to the world around them, suggesting that reality only matters insofar as it is perceived by human consciousness. This perspective can provide a sense of comfort against the vastness of existence.
Conversely, the...
