Watch Neil deGrasse Tyson Explain the Meaning of Life

Famed astrophysicist and public speaker extraordinaire Neil deGrasse Tyson is pretty great at interacting with young kids. At a recent event in Boston, a 6-year-old boy (well, 6 and three quarters, as he makes sure to point out) asked, “What is the meaning of life?”

The kid was probably asking just to be cute, but deGrasse Tyson took the question seriously and responded with a very thoughtful, extended answer.

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He explains that it’s important to create meaning for ourselves and make sure we’re constantly bringing ourselves a little bit closer to knowing everything there is to know. “If I live a day and I don’t know a little more that day than the day before,” he explains, “I think I wasted that day.”

Basically, Neil deGrasse Tyson just really wants us all to maintain our sense of wonder and curiosity, whether we’re 6 and three quarters or 96 and three quarters.

MORE: Neil deGrasse Tyson Is Getting His Own Talk Show

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Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art work

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Utah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado River

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Cuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe Dam

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Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.

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Dunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)

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Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier Reef

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Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in Pakistan

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Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)

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Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duck

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Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam Volcano

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Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie area

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Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount Vesuvius

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Niger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium Mine

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Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013

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Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter Olympics

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Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trapped

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Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of Versailles

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