Time & Perspective Quote by Ann Druyan

Druyan frames human history as a long stretch of emotional misattribution: we didn’t just fear nature, we interpreted it as commentary. The punch of “we took every storm... personally” is that it recasts superstition not as stupidity but as a deeply human error in pattern recognition, the same cognitive reflex that still powers conspiracy theories and algorithm-fed paranoia. “Personally” is doing heavy work here; it suggests wounded pride as much as vulnerability, a species that can’t stand being incidental.

The quote’s intent is quietly polemical. It champions scientific literacy without the scolding tone that often comes with it. By leading with “helpless,” Druyan offers empathy for our ancestors: myths weren’t frauds so much as coping mechanisms assembled from limited information. That sympathy is strategic, because it makes the pivot to rational explanation feel like progress rather than betrayal. The subtext: if myth was once an adaptive narrative technology, it can also become a liability when it blocks better models of reality.

Context matters. Druyan’s public voice is intertwined with the “Cosmos” tradition (Sagan’s, then the revival she helped shape): science as cultural storytelling, not just technical enterprise. That lineage prizes wonder, but it also warns against anthropocentrism. Her list - storms, drought, illness, comets - compresses random, indifferent forces into a single category of perceived persecution. It’s a reminder that the modern achievement isn’t simply knowing more facts; it’s learning to stop treating the universe like it’s subtweeting us.