The Super-Sized Version of Metacognition: The Magic of a Cosmic Perspective—A Time Capsule from Age 17

On my way home from work, I was thinking about a topic for the contest 'The Person Who Thought of This Is a Genius.'
While pondering 'what is the greatest thing,' I realized that the universe is the greatest.

In that moment, I imagined myself walking down the night road as seen from space.
Then, my tiny worries felt a little lighter.

In the vast history of the universe, my entire life is but a fleeting moment.
And the worries of that moment are like grains of sand.

When I was in high school, I went on a solo trip to Okinawa.
Late at night, I snuck out of my hotel to eat ramen at a street stall.

Ramen shop owner: 'Where are you from?'
Miki: 'Yokohama.'
Owner: 'Isn't there better ramen in Yokohama?'

I looked up at the starry sky at that moment.
I usually spend my time scurrying around in a place over 1,000 kilometers away.
It feels similar to that sensation I had back then, when I thought, 'I really am just a tiny speck.'

The day after I viewed myself from space.
At the elementary school where I work, I was asked to write a message for the graduation anthology.
Here is the message I wrote.

'Congratulations on your graduation!'
From now on, if you ever find yourself worrying, try imagining yourself as seen from high up in the sky.
When you do that, you'll feel like, "Well, I'm sure it will work out somehow."

Many kids might think, 'What on earth is he talking about?' but that's perfectly fine.
Just think of it as a super-sized version of metacognition.
So, the person who thought of 'metacognition' is a genius.

...I realized after writing this that perhaps the thoughts I sent from Okinawa to Yokohama that night at 17 took 34 years to finally land the other day.

Perhaps I saw the future beyond the starry sky, and it was stored in a cosmic time capsule.
So, the person who thought of the 'time capsule' is also a genius.