I watched Project Hail Mary, and it left me sitting with one thought: how deeply human it is to need connection.
Early in the movie, the main character wakes up completely alone. Watching him, I kept imagining myself in that situation. What I realized is that it's not the loneliness that scares me; it's the meaninglessness. If no one is out there to receive what I do, what am I even doing? The people on Earth might still be alive, but how would I know? And if they aren't, is any of it purposeful?
They say humans can endure enormous suffering if they have a purpose. But purpose doesn't exist in a vacuum. It needs someone on the other end.
Then Rocky appears, and everything shifts. He's an alien: no face, no shared biology, nothing familiar. But there's this moment when the two of them realize they can understand each other, and it felt magical. It's not about similarity. It's about being seen.
To be human is to want to be understood. To be human is to want to live for others.