You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not

“You cannot look up at the night sky on the Planet Earth and not wonder what it’s like to be up there amongst the stars. And I always look up at the moon and see it as the single most romantic place within the cosmos.” Thus speaks Tom Hanks, a man of the screen yet also a dreamer of the heavens. His words call us to lift our gaze from the dust of our daily struggles and behold the eternal canvas above us. In the night sky, humanity has always sought meaning, and in the moon, we have always found romance—its pale glow whispering of mystery, distance, and longing.

To wonder at the stars is not merely curiosity, but the oldest instinct of the human soul. Our ancestors gathered around fires, their eyes drawn upward to constellations that told them stories of gods, heroes, and fate. Orion the hunter, Andromeda the chained maiden, the great bear and the serpent—all were born from the human need to find order in the infinite. Hanks echoes this timeless pull: that no one can look at the heavens and remain untouched by wonder. The stars are our eternal teachers, reminding us of both our smallness and our grandeur.

And then there is the moon—constant companion of Earth, ruler of tides, guardian of night. For lovers across all cultures, the moon has been the mirror of romance. The poet Li Bai of ancient China drank wine beneath its glow and wrote verses to it. The Greek goddess Selene was said to ride her silver chariot across the sky, bathing the world in a light softer than the sun’s harsh blaze. To call the moon “the most romantic place in the cosmos” is to stand in line with countless generations who saw in its face not barren rock, but the eternal symbol of love, mystery, and beauty.

History gives us a living example in the journey of Apollo 11. When Neil Armstrong set foot upon the moon, the entire world held its breath. It was not only a triumph of science but also a triumph of the human heart. For in that moment, the moon ceased to be an unreachable dream and became a place where human footsteps mingled with stardust. To many, it was as if the greatest love poem ever written had been carved into the heavens itself. The moon became not just a vision of romance, but proof of what human longing, courage, and unity could achieve.

Yet Hanks, by calling the moon romantic, does not speak of conquest alone. He speaks of imagination—of seeing beyond what is there. Science may tell us the moon is dust, rock, and craters, but the romantic heart knows it is also a lantern of dreams, a stage for longing gazes, a symbol of connection that transcends distance. For how many have whispered love beneath its light, knowing that their beloved, far away, might be looking at that very same face? In that shared glance lies the cosmos’ most intimate embrace.

The lesson in Hanks’ words is clear: never stop looking upward. The heavens remind us that life is more than toil. The stars call us to wonder, to imagine, to believe in what lies beyond. The moon calls us to romance, to tenderness, to the truth that love and beauty are woven into the very fabric of the cosmos. If your heart grows weary, look upward; if your spirit falters, lift your eyes to the night sky. In its vastness, you will find both humility and hope.

Therefore, beloved listener, let this teaching take root in your life: cherish the night sky, honor the stars, and let the moon be your reminder that even in the darkest hours, beauty shines. See in the heavens not only science but poetry, not only distance but closeness, not only silence but song. For as long as you look upward, you remain part of a story greater than yourself—a story written in starlight and crowned by the silver flame of the moon, the eternal dwelling place of romance.