Who doesn’t like to feel BIG?

Who doesn’t like to feel IMPORTANT?

Who doesn’t like to feel SPECIAL?

I do, and I’ve been lucky to be able to feel that way a lot as my life has progressed. I’ve been successful and I’ve been recognized for it. But I’ve also been lucky. I’m not going to say that my work ethic is the only thing that’s gotten me to this point in my life. A lot of it had to do with luck, period.

I feel those “important” feelings a lot. But how often do I feel small? I don’t mean in an emotional sense, I mean how often do I physically realize that there’s so much more going on than just me … than just my life? How often do we look at how many lives we touch. But we do so without realizing, even for a moment, how completely and utterly insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things. We don’t see it, so we don’t think about it. Take the time out to think for a moment. Step out of the daily grind for a second and realize the truth of your situation … of your life.

My townhouse: 4 tenants

Me: 25 percent of the house’s population

Kent State University: 34,056 students

Me: 0.002936 percent of KSU students

Portage County: 155,012 residents

Me: 0.0006451 percent of the county’s population

Ohio: 11,478,006 residents

Me: 0.000008712 percent of Ohioans

The United States of America: 303,504,193 residents

Me: 0.0000003295 percent of the citizens of the country

The world: 6,634,881,903 residents

Me: 0.00000001507 percent of Earth’s population

Do you see that last percentage? Well here’s a fun fact: Double it and that’s the chance you have of finding “The One.” Your odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are nearly 200 times better. Pick your poison.

Now try looking up at the moon. You know, that thing that’s about the size of the tip of your pinky finger when you extend your arm? Well guess what … the moon has about 10 times the surface area of the United States. Not so tiny anymore, is it? And our big important planet Earth? It’s the proverbial middle child of planets. Three planets are smaller, but four planets are bigger. Much bigger.

How can you not appreciate that?

I love the feeling of standing on the beach … on the edge of an ocean … and seeing nothing but blue. And knowing that there’s no way I’ll see anything but that vast blueness. The world we live in is amazing. There are so many things that we see and taste and touch and smell and feel everyday … so many things we take advantage of. They’re amazing.

So, take a moment and think. Just think. Lay down on the ground. That’s you. That’s the extent of area you can take up. Me? I’m about 6 feel tall and about 1 1/2 feet wide. That means I’m taking up 9 square feet of the Earth, and (unless I gain a few pounds) I can’t take up anymore.

I, in all my glory and splendor and egotistical wonderment . I, Chris Wascak, the big important man that I am, officially take up 0.000000002965 percent of the Earth’s 57,470,000 square miles of land surface area.

If that doesn’t knock me down a few pegs, I don’t know what will.

Chris Wascak

Senior marketing major