"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."

Mark Twain

Please use, if you can, real dried apricots. The ones that are not bright orange and full of sulphites.

Apricot mousse
(vegan, raw, grain-free)

200 g dried apricots (either purchased hydrated or soaked overnight)
150 g sunflower seeds (soaked for 2 hours)
30 g almond flour
25 cl non-dairy milk or water

In a blender, blend the dried apricots with the sunflower seeds and almond milk. Add the milk (or water) little by little until you reach the consistency of a mousse (it is thicker and less smooth than a traditional mousse). Serve apricot mousse with cardamome whipped cream (recipe below).

Cardamom whipped cream
(vegan, raw, grain-free)

Please see this recipe (only one can will do) and add ground cardamom to taste. I did not sweetened it but you can add raw powdered sugar if you'd like, though I wouldn't as the apricot mousse is very sweet.

"In this world love has no colour - yet how deeply my body is stained by yours"

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan, Izumi Shikibu 

You've stained my body so deeply and painfully and passionately to impress upon myself this provisional and perishable despair. My soul has faded. Each day I wait for you






P.S. : you can now like my Facebook page
It's not green, I know! I swear there is spirulina in it. I know 99,9% of you will cringe at the idea of spirulina chocolate but it happens that I love spirulina and I love chocolate so...

Spirulina chocolate
(vegan, grain-free, raw)

120 g cocoa butter
30 g agave nectar (use raw)
17 g almond milk powder
12 g spirulina powder

In a large bowl of warm (not too hot) water, place a smaller bowl filled with cocoa butter (basically a bain-marie). Stir well until the cocoa butter is melted (it takes a little time). Remove from hot water. Sitr in the agave syrup, spirulina and the almond milk powder. Blend in an electric spice grinder for a couple of minutes. Transfer into a mould. Refrigerate until it hardens. It's best to keep in the fridge as it melts quickly. 

I liked the idea that Caitlin made a list of her least favourite things and I've wanted to do the same. I must admit that it was harder to compose than I had imagined.

My least favourite things (fragments) :


Math, numbers and dates
Brown
Coffee-flavoured desserts
Crime fiction
High humidity
TV
Near Eastern archaeology
Sunbathing
Caramel
Grasshopers
Bright red clothes
Carpets, especially bath rugs
Purple
Fake flowers and plants


P.S. : I've set up a Facebook page for the blog (actually it's been a while but I am Facebook benighted) so go like!

Red currant jam
(vegan, grain-free, raw)

500 g red currants
35 g ground chia seeds


You can add powdered raw sugar as red currants are quite tart. Personally I don't mind. To make powdered raw sugar, simply process raw sugar in a food processor until very fine. Adjust chia seeds accordingly.

Purée the red currants using a potato ricer over a bowl. Discard solids and keep 290 g red currant purée. Mix in ground chia seeds and let set to form a gel. Add a little more ground chia seeds if you desire a thicker texture. And voilà!

Confiture crue à la groseille
(végétalien, sans céréales, cru)

500 g groseilles
35 g graines de chia moulues

Vous pouvez ajouter du sucre glace cru car les groseilles sont assez acides. J'aime bien comme ça. Pour faire du sucre glace cru, mixer du sucre cru dans un robot jusqu'à obtenir une poudre très fine. Il faudra ajuster la quantité de chia en conséquence.

Passer les groseilles au presse-purée pour obtenir un coulis (il restera quelques graines, pas de problème!). Jeter le reste (ou donner aux poules des voisins ou les vôtres). Ajouter les graines de chia moulues et mélanger. Ajuster la quantité de chia selon la texture désirée et voilà!

"Abandon every hope, you who enter."

Dante et Virgile, William Bouguereau , 1850, huile sur toile, Musée d'Orsay

"But neither the furies of Thebes, nor the Trojan, were ever seen toward any one so cruel, whether in goading beasts or human limbs, as I saw two shades pallid and naked who, biting, were running in the way that a boar does when from the sty he breaks loose. One came at Capocchio, and on the nape of his neck struck his teeth, so that dragging him he made his belly scratch along the solid bottom. And the Aretine, who remained trembling, said to me, "That goblin is Gianni Schicchi, and rabid he goes thus maltreating others." "Oh," said I to him, "so may time other not fix his teeth on thee, let it not weary thee to tell who it is ere it start hence."

Canto XXX, Inferno, Divine Comedy, Dante 

If you're looking for pink desserts and cloying romance tales, pass your way. Or as the Hell's gate reads : "Abandon every hope you who enter."

     You might be familiar with Bouguereau through Academic art- this seemingly overblown style. I personally respect Academic art, even though I don't like all of it as it sometimes simply doesn't appeal to my feelings and senses (I'm a Rubenist at heart, yay!), and I think it best to have a closer look at the historical and artistical context before deeming a painter boring and insincere. This little gem though is something entirely different from his typical oeuvre. 

         Dante et Virgile is one of my favourite paintings. Every time I go to the Musée d'Orsay I don't fail to head directly to the rooms at the right of the sculpture main aisle to have a look at the lurid painting and this one as well (actually they've not been on display for quite some time now and may I add : where the hell have they gone?). I'm not really being fair here : due to its monumental composition, you need to see the painting with your own two eyes to get an idea of the, well, Dantesque effect.

       Under a blazing bood red sky and the crackling of fascinating, unpredicatble flames, follow Dante's descent through the nine circles of Hell, each escalating in savagery, sinners enduring an eternity of ruthless chastisement . As you reach the tenth pouch of the eighth circle,  benevolently guided by the dead poet Virgil, your cloak sweeping the ashes, witness the violence that is presented to you in subdued light : two men mangling each other, Gianni's mouth fastened into Capocchio's neck, his knee slammed into his back, his talon-like fingers clawing his opponent's ribs. Those unreal, flawless anatomies exhibiting so much terribilità à la Michelangelo. 

          How do you react? Repelled? Fascinated? Will you look away?

And what could possibly Dante be looking at that is more terrifying than what is in front of you?

Pain, agony. Such a macabre and powerful painting! It's a shame Bouguereau didn't paint more in this vein, isn't it?

May I venture to say  this painting is somewhat sensual?

My favourite detail? Gianni's curvature with the protruding backbone which could be the one of some unreal beast.

I've just noticed this detail : see the woman in the background leaning on a man? Well she looks like Francesca in Ary Scheffer's Les ombres de Francesca da Rimini et de Paolo Malatesta apparaissent à Dante et à Virgile. Bouguereau cannot have depicted Francesca da Rimini in this painting though because she's in the first circle of Hell.

Want to see a detailed photo of Bouguereau's painting? Go there.

Bonus : you get three recipes! They're all grain-free, sugar-free, raw and one-serving : because sometimes I don't want to share.

(I am currently camera-less so forgive the phone pictures and the recent lack of posts)

Do not omit the hazelnut oil! Because a) you'll get to smell it (if you haven't smelled hazelnut oil for the sake of it, you should start right now!) b) as there's no sugar, it would be a tad bland without the fragrant oil.

Coconut avocado cream
(vegan, raw, grain-free)
(yield : for one)

1 medium avocado (100 g)
1/4 to 1/2 lime, juiced
3 g hazelnut oil
15 g unsweetened shredded coconut

In a blender (I used a coffee grinder because of the small quantities), blend the avocado with the lime juice and hazelnut oil. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture in a small glass, top with shredded coconut and repeat twice. I like drizzling with more lime juice on top so the shredded coconut isn't too dry.

Crème d'avocat à la noix de coco
(végétalien, cru, sans céréales)
(pour  une personne)

1 avocat moyen (100 g)
le jus d'1/4 à 1/2 citron vert
3 g huile de noisette
15 g noix de coco rapée (non sucrée)

Dans un blender (vu les petites quantité, j 'ai utilisé un moulin à épices), mixer l'avocat avec le jus de citron vert et l'huile de noisette. Dans un petit bol, mettre 1/3 du mélange, recouvrir de noix de coco et recommencer deux fois. Je verse un peu de jus de citron vert en plus sur le dessus pour éviter que la noix de coco ne soit trop sèche.

I've eaten  mostly raw since the beginning of the year and I'm happy with plain fruit but sometimes I fancy a little more elaborate dessert (that does not involve 500 g of nuts). This one is an apfelstrudel without the bread crumbs. Or the dough. Um.


Apfelstrudel salad
(vegan, grain-free, raw if you use fruit juice instead of rum)
(yield : for one)

20 g raisins
3-4 cl dark rum
1 apple (I used Braeburn)
2-3 cl freshly squeezed lemon juice
ground cinnamon, to taste
8 walnuts

Start by soaking the raisins in rum. In the meantime, slice the apple and roughly chop the walnuts . In a small bowl, toss the apple slices with lemon juice so they do not brown. Add the cinnamon, chopped walnuts, soaked raisins and rum (if some remains) and mix well.

Salade Apfelstrudel
(végétalien, sans céréales, cru si vous utilisez du jus de fruit au lieu du rhum)
20 g raisins secs
3-4 cl rhum brun
1 pomme (j'ai utilisé une Braeburn)
2-3 cl jus de citron frais
cannelle en poudre
8 noix

Commencer par tremper les raisins secs dans le rhum. Pendant ce temps, couper la pomme en lamelles et concasser grossièrement les noix. Dans un petit bol, mélanger les lamelles des pommes avec le jus de citron pour qu'elles ne brunissent pas. Ajouter la cannelle (selon votre goût), les noix et les raisins (ainsi que le rhum s'il en reste) et bien mélanger.

I used frozen cucumber juice cubes that I had left from making Pimm's popsicles this summer. As they're not in season, either sub with another vegetable juice or water.

The Green Pint

(vegan, raw, grain-free)
(yield : 1 pint)

1 banana, frozen

1 cm piece of ginger

1 small handful of Savoy cabbage

1 small handful of spinach

2 celery stalks, juiced

1 medium cucumber, juiced

10 g hemp hearts 

Blend.


La Pinte Verte
(végétalien, cru, sans céréales)
(1 pinte)

1 banane, congelée
1 cm de gingembre
1 petite poignée de chou frisé
1 petite poignée d'épinards
le jus de 2 côtes de céleri-branche
le jus d'1 concombre 
10 g de graines de chanvres décortiquées
Mixer!

“When you walk with naked feet, how can you ever forget the earth?” 

Carl Jung 

Lately I've spiced up my running routine : at least once a week, I run without my Garmin. No time, no speed, no heartbeat. No numbers. 

I. Just. Run. And I run free. 

The first 10 minutes, I focus my thoughts on my body. My breath. Inhaling, Exhaling. The brisk air making its way into my lungs. Vapour coming out. How my legs feel. My strides. How my body is poised. My ponytail swaying side to side. Side to side. Side to side. (ok that annoys me a lot). Once I've set up the right pace and the right stride, I let my thoughts wander. Oh dear, do I think. When my thoughts get too loud or I feel like I will end up more stressed than when I started running, I focus on the scenery and usually end the run feeling grateful for being able to run on this earth. When I run like this, I feel like I can change the world (fellow runners, tell me you feel that way too). I feel so strong everything becomes possible. Except  I eventually have to stop running and when I do so, I need comfort and energy, especially when it gets cold. These truffles are the perfect post-run snack. Chocolate for comfort, spices for warmth and nuts for energy!

I still love my  Garmin. It helps me get better, it prevents me from getting lost when I go trail running and it also helps me set limits. It's the perfect accessory to keep me motivated.

I haven't given measurements for the spices because I did not measure. Just adjust to your taste : I usually use more cinnamon and cardamom because that's what I like best.

Chocolate and spice truffle
(raw, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan)

65 g walnuts
60 g pecans
45 g almonds
20 g cashews
95 g dates, soaked in water (no need to soak them if they're soft, if you use Medjools for example)
20 g raw cacao
30 g cacao nibs
ground cinnamon
ground cardamom
ground anise
ground ginger
ground maca

raw cacao, for rolling

Process the nuts into a flour. Add in the dates and raw cacao. Pulse until it forms a dough. Transfer into a bowl. Fold in the cacao nibs and the spices. Mix well. Form little balls and roll them (but first dry your hands) in cacao if you want or in more cacao nibs. Keep in fridge for up to 6 days or freeze (they can be eaten straight from the freezer).

Truffes au chocolat et aux épices
(végétalien, sans gluten, cru)

65 g noix
60 g noix de pécan
45 g amandes
20 g noix de cajou
95 g dattes, pré-trempées ( ne pas les faire tremper si elles sont assez molles)
20 g cacao cru en poudre
30 g éclats de cacao
cannelle en poudre
cardamome en poudre
anis vert en poudre
gingembre en poudre
poudre de maca

du cacao cru en poudre

Dans votre robot, réduire en poudre les différentes noix. Ajouter les dattes et le cacao. Mixer jusqu'à former une pâte. Transférer dans un bol puis ajouter les éclats de cacao et les épices. Bien malaxer. Former des petites boules avec les mains humides. Les rouler (avec les mains sèches) dans du cacao en poudre (ou dans des éclats de cacao). Se conservent au frais pendant 6 jours mais elle peuvent être congelées.

I have to apologise for borrowing someone else's words to describe the difficulty of being as I call it - as Jean Cocteau called it but Sartre says it too well. I know it's very up to each individual. The causes are complex, unknown or misunderstood but the feeling, deep down, is the same.
The difficulty of being came to me insidiously: I woke up one day and the darkness had wrapped itself around my soul and it was too late.
I knew. I felt it. The "nausea".
I sometimes feel that everything is too much. Emotions, sensations, thoughts. I feel the weight of existence, bitterly. But before I accept to live with this new "clairvoyance"- this anxious consciousness of the absurdity of the world, I have to overcome this nausea. The question as of late has been: "What should I hold onto so as not to perish?"
And this is my fight.

I will let Sartre speak now:

“I live alone, entirely alone. I never speak to anyone, never; I receive nothing, I give nothing… "

"I hadn't the right to exist. I appeared by chance, I existed like a stone, a plant or a microbe. My life put out feelers towards small pleasures in every direction. Sometimes it sent out vague signals; at other times, I felt nothing more than a harmless buzzing…"

"The thing which was waiting was on alert, it pounced on me, it flows through me. I'm filled with it. It's nothing: I am the Thing. Existence, liberated, detached, floods over me. I exist. I exist. It's sweet, so sweet, so slow. And light: you'd think it floated all by itself. It stirs. It brushes by me, melts and vanishes. Gently, gently. "

"Something has happened to me, I can’t doubt it anymore. It came as an illness does, not like an ordinary certainty, not like anything evident. It came cunningly, little by little; I felt a little strange, a little put out, that’s all. Once established it never moved, it stayed quiet, and I was able to persuade myself that nothing was the matter with me, that it was a false alarm. And now, it’s blossoming. "

"People who live in society have learnt how to see themselves, in mirrors, as they appear to their friends. I have no friends: is that why my flesh is so naked? You might say - yes you might say, nature without humanity… Things are bad! Things are very bad: I have it, the filth, the Nausea." 

"I tear myself from the window and stumble across the room; I glue myself against the looking glass. I stare at myself, I disgust myself: one more eternity." 

"So this is Nausea: this blinding evidence? I have scratched my head over it! I've written about it. Now I know: I exist - the world exists - and I know that the world exists. That's all. It makes no difference to me." 

“Existence is not something which lets itself be thought of form a distance; it must invade you suddenly, master you, weigh heavily on your heart like a great motionless beast - or else there is nothing at all.” 

"Existence everywhere, infinitely, in excess, for ever and everywhere; existence - which is limited only by existence." 

"The Nausea has not left me and I don't believe it will leave me so soon; but I no longer have to bear it, it is no longer an illness or a passing fit: it is I."  

“I am going to outlive myself. Eat, sleep, sleep, eat. Exist slowly, softly, like these trees, like a puddle of water, like the red bench in the streetcar.” 

La Nausée (Nausea), Jean-Paul Sartre 

If you can read a little French (or if you're French, oh hi!), I highly recommend you read La Nausée. Although it tackles a complex (yet enthralling) philosophy, it remains a novel and is easy to read. No fancy words, I promise. And bonus: not downright bleak. Unlike other writers. Yes, I'm looking at you, Cioran. (I sort of like Cioran).

And when you feel down, you should eat chocolate, so this is the perfect snack! It's sugar-free and is packed with minerals and omega-3 and -6 fatty acids from the chia seeds. Raw cocoa butter's got anxiolytic and antioxidant properties. I've never cared for white chocolate but this is totally different. This is pure cococa bliss. And it tastes like heaven.

Almond milk powder (or other non-dairy milk powder) is NOT optional: it makes the chocolate creamy. The vanilla, on the other hand, is totally optional (I feel for the vanilla haters out there), I personally do not like vanilla so I omitted, but people who tasted it liked the vanilla version better. 

Raw raspberry jam
(vegan, gluten-free, raw)

300 g frozen raspberries
30 g agave syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
50 g chia seeds

Blend the raspberries and agave syrup until smooth (raspberry seeds will remain). Add in the chia seeds and let gel for at least 2 hours. Keep in fridge for up to 1 week or freeze it. 

White chocolate
(vegan, gluten-free)

60 g raw cocoa butter
30 g agave syrup
5 g powdered stevia
10 g almond milk powder
vanilla extract or seeds optional 

In a large bowl of hot water, place a smaller bowl filled with cocoa butter (cocoa butter melts at 35°C, no need to go higher). Stir well until the butter is melted (it takes a little time). Remove from hot water. Sitr in the agave syrup, powdered stevia and the almond milk powder (and vanilla extract if you like). Blend in an electric spice grinder for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a jar.

White chocolate raspberry cups
(vegan, gluten-free)

raw raspberry jam
white chocolate, still liquid (or melted)

In cupcakes moulds or candy moulds, pour white chocolate up to 1/5. Let sit in fridge for 10 minutes for the white chocolate to harden. Then spoon raspberry jam onto white chocolate. Pour white chocolate on top until jam is covered. Place in fridge for at least one hour. 

It's best to keep these cups in the fridge if the weather is hot.

Confiture crue de framboises
(végétalien, sans gluten, cru)

300 g framboises surgelées
30 g sirop d'agave
50 g graines de chia

Dans un blender, mixer les framboises et le sirop d'agave. Ajouter les graines de chia et laisser prendre au moins 2 h au réfrigérateur. La confiture se conserve jusqu'à une semaine ou peut être congelée.

Chocolat blanc
(végétalien, sans gluten)

60 g beurre de cacao cru
30 g sirop d'agave
5 g poudre de stévia
10 g lait d'amande en poudre
extrait de vanille, facultatif

Dans un grand bol d'eau très chaude, mettre un bol plus petit rempli du beurre de cacao. Mélanger jusqu'à ce que le beurre de cacao fonde (cela prend un petit peu de temps). Verser le sirop d'agave, la stévia en poudre et le lait d'amande en poudre. Mixer dans un petit moulin à épice pendant quelques minutes. Transférer dans un pot froid.

"Cups" au chocolat blanc et à la framboise

(végétalien, sans gluten)

confiture crue de framboise

chocolat blanc, encore liquide

Dans des moules à cupcakes ou à chocolats, verser du chocolat blanc encore liquide jusqu'au 1/5. Mettre au frigo pour que le chocolat durcisse. Puis, poser un peu de confiture de framboises sur le chocolat. Verser du chocolat blanc jusqu'à ce qu'il recouvre la confiture. Mettre au réfrigérateur pendant une heure au moins. Et conserver au frigo selon le temps.

"Be humble for you are made of Earth.

Be noble for you are made of stars"

                                                                                 Serbian proverb

Some green love again!


Spirulina and hemp truffles
(vegan, grain-free, raw)

100 g almonds
25 g hemp butter
150 g dates (about 18-20 Deglet Noor)
1 g salt
10 +10 g hempseed oil
spirulina powder

In a food processor, blend the almonds into meal. Add the hemp butter, dates, salt and 10 g hempseed oil, whizz until it starts forming a dough. If the dough is still a bit dry, add the remaining hempseed oil. Form balls and roll into spirulina powder. Keep in fridge up to one week. Otherwise, they can be eaten (almost) straight from the freezer.

Truffes à la spiruline et au chanvre
(végétalien, sans gluten)

100 g amandes
25 g beurre de chanvre
150 g dattes (environ 18-20 Deglet Nour)
1 g sel
10 +10 g huile de chanvre
poudre de spiruline

A l'aide d'un robot (lame S), réduire les amandes en poudre grossière. Ajouter le beurre de chanvre, les dattes, le sel et 10 g d'huile de chanvre pour former une pâte. Si la pâte est encore un peu sèche, ajouter le restant d'huile de chanvre. Former des boules puis les rouler dans la poudre de spiruline. Les truffes se conservent au réfrigérateur pendant une semaine. Elles peuvent aussi être congeler. 

"From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it's different. Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

The Earth is the only world known, so far, to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, Carl Sagan

This recipe only yields one tartlet, feel free to adjust the proportions especially if you don't own an electronic spice/coffee grinder as it will be (I think) impossible to make it with a food processor and a blender.

Raw green almond and apricot tartlet
(vegan, gluten-free, raw)
(for one)

For Macadamia whipped cream:
60 g Macadamia nuts, soaked in water for 1 hour
5 g maple syrup
4 cl lemon juice

In a spice grinder, blend all ingredients until smooth and fluffy. Keep in fridge while you make the tart shell.

For tart shell:
50 g almonds
30 g dates
5 g olive oil

In a spice grinder, blend all ingredients until it forms a dough. Press it down a tartlet tin lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour.

To assemble:
Macadamia cream
a tart shell
green almonds
apricot
olive oil
sea salt

Spread Macadamia whipped cream on the tart shell and place apricots and green almonds on top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt before serving. 

"Depuis ce poste avancé, la Terre ne semble pas avoir grand intérêt. Mais pour nous c'est très différent. Regardez encore ce petit point. C'est ici. C'est notre foyer. C'est nous. Sur lui se trouvent tous ceux que vous aimez, tous ceux que vous connaissez, tous ceux dont vous avez entendu parler, tous les êtres humains qui aient jamais vécu. Toute la somme de nos joies et de nos souffrances, des milliers de religions aux convictions assurées, d'idéologies et de doctrines économiques, tous les chasseurs et cueilleurs, tous les héros et tous les lâches, tous les créateurs et destructeurs de civilisations, tous les rois et tous les paysans, tous les jeunes couples d'amoureux, tous les pères et mères, tous les enfants plein d'espoir, les inventeurs et les explorateurs, tous les professeurs de morale, tous les politiciens corrompus, toutes les “superstars”, tous les “guides suprêmes”, tous les saints et pécheurs de l'histoire de notre espèce ont vécu ici, sur ce grain de poussière suspendu dans un rayon de soleil.

La Terre est une toute petite scène dans une vaste arène cosmique. Songez aux fleuves de sang déversés par tous ces généraux et ces empereurs afin que nimbés de triomphe et de gloire, ils puissent devenir les maîtres temporaires d'une fraction d'un point. Songez aux cruautés sans fin imposées par les habitants d'un recoin de ce pixel sur d'indistincts habitants d'un autre recoin. Comme ils peinent à s'entendre, comme ils sont prompts à s'entretuer, comme leurs haines sont ferventes. Nos postures, notre propre importance imaginée, l'illusion que nous avons quelque position privilégiée dans l'univers, sont mis en question par ce point de lumière pâle. Notre planète est une infime tache solitaire enveloppée par la grande nuit cosmique. Dans notre obscurité - dans toute cette immensité - il n'y a aucun signe qu'une aide viendra d'ailleurs nous sauver de nous-mêmes. La Terre est jusqu'à présent le seul monde connu à abriter la vie. Il n'y a nulle part ailleurs, au moins dans un futur proche, vers où notre espèce pourrait migrer. Visiter, oui. S'installer, pas encore. Que vous le vouliez ou non, pour le moment c'est sur Terre que nous prenons position.

On a dit que l'astronomie incite à l'humilité et fortifie le caractère. Il n'y a peut être pas de meilleure démonstration de la folie des idées humaines que cette lointaine image de notre monde minuscule. Pour moi, cela souligne notre responsabilité de cohabiter plus fraternellement les uns avec les autres, et de préserver et chérir le point bleu pâle, la seule maison que nous ayons jamais connue."

Un Point Bleu Pâle, Carl Sagan