The Essence of Nothing

As I read Turner's essay, I find myself more and more caught up in the concept of "nothing."  Nothing matters.  Or is it that Nothing Matters?  Humans are egotistical creatures.  We place great importance in our own lives and the significant events which happen within them.  In doing so, we often look over the little things in life which make up the essence of nothing.  And yet, in the bigger picture, we ourselves are nothing. The universe is infinite, and within we are inconsequential specks in an instance of time.  As Turner says, "What was this human world but a quintessence of dust?"  (50).  I find this controversy best described in the motto tanti which Turner defines as "so much and so little" (58).  In our own lives, we are so much.  We are EVERYTHING.  In the bigger picture, we are so little, we are nothing.  How can this be possible?  My only conclusion is that nothing, indeed, Matters.  The same nothing might not mean the same thing to every person.  For example, our own lives are everything to ourselves and nothing to most of the 7 billion humans on this planet (notice this does not even touch on our significance with the environment).  On a smaller scale, one may find the brilliance in a speck of dust floating in the sunlight which everyone else passes by.  Personally, I find great peace in nothingness.  I love to sit in silence with nothing but my thoughts and the infinite expanses of the world surrounding me.  Here I find perspective.  I am dwarfed by the concept of space.  It continues forever.  How crazy is that?  In this great expanse, I am nothing but what I make of myself.  We have a short time on this planet before we return to the great nothingness known as death.  What impact will you leave during your time?  We have but hours upon this stage and I intend to leave a memorable performance so that I may greet the nothingness of death with open arms and peace of mind.