Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

02 | Our Corner of the World

╔══════════════════╗

MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
ii. OUR CORNER OF THE WORLD

╚══════════════════╝

   IT'S EASY TO GET lost in how big the world is. It's massive, constantly growing. Our world is a mere extension of a much larger universe — a universe where aliens and Norse Gods coexist and the fate of all life can be determined by a Titan and some overpowered rocks (or a kid and her adoptive father deciding to discover time travel on a whim). Life is endless, forever changing, and there are so many people in the world that it only makes it seem that much bigger.

   But strangely enough, all people are the same. We live out our days according to schedules, seeing and encountering new faces all the time. We shake hands and give away our names. Sometimes, we don't even speak to the strangers we come across. Maybe you exchange glances across a crowded room or share a smile when something funny happens nearby. Yeah, there are billions of people inhabiting our world, but they're all just like you. They have hobbies and quirks and responsibilities of their own. It seems so silly to think about, maybe even a little obvious, but it's true. Every person you've ever met has a life you'll never know anything about.

   It was an overwhelming yet comforting thought to Peter Parker. There are so many people in the world that are, in hindsight, just like him. Without the whole radioactive spider bite thing, at least. Maybe he'd never know them all, but he knew they all had friends and family and strange girlfriends and problems that felt like the end of the world — just like him.

   It helped to remember this from time to time, like when he had a big test coming up or whenever he did something particularly embarrassing in public. He liked being able to remind himself that his problems didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. What feels like the end of the world right now probably won't matter in a few weeks.

   But that was when he'd get lost in just how big the world truly is. He'd repeat these things to himself until he started to overthink them. He'd think about how fragile the scale of life truly is. He'd think about how small our contribution to humanity is in hindsight. Something that he might consider important might be meaningless to someone else and vice-versa. Think about it. At the end of the day, we're just pawns in the universe's greater game of chess. Why bother worrying or caring about anything at all? What's the point?

   But then he'd remember the little things in life, the things that brought him joy. He'd think about his favorite movies and songs. He'd think about Aunt May and Ned. He'd think about Riley and how rewarding it felt when he got her to smile or laugh. He'd think about how it felt to swing through New York and all of those times he got to stand with his childhood heroes. He'd think about his dreams, his desires. No matter how big the world may be, no matter how small he felt at times, Peter knew he could always depend on the little things in life to keep him grounded.