Neil deGrasse Tyson is probably the most visible and beloved scientist working right now, but his audience doesn’t usually skew this young.

And even though he probably gets asked some pretty heady questions, it’s not every day someone just straight-up asks him what the meaning of life is, which is why we’re so impressed with his answer.

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Jackson, the kid in the clip, was attending a lecture Tyson gave at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on Jan. 15. He proves himself to be a stickler for details early on, identifying his age as “six and three-quarters” after blurting out his question.

“You’re going to be the deepest-thinking adult there ever was,” Tyson responds before giving his answer.

“I think people ask that question on the assumption that meaning is something you can look for,” Tyson begins. “And it doesn’t consider the possibility that maybe meaning in life is something you create, you manufacture for yourself and others.” That’s just the beginning of his answer, which we really suggest you watch in its entirety, if only so you can imagine ever-so-slightly how Jackson’s life was changed.